WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John F. Kerry implored Congress on Thursday not to impose tough new sanctions on Iran, warning that such a move could disrupt diplomacy over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program at a delicate moment.

Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry said that because Iran is two months away from an election, new U.S. economic penalties could become an inflamed political issue and reduce the chances of a deal to curb the nuclear program.

“There’s an enormous amount of jockeying going on, with the obvious normal tension between hard-liners and people who want to make an agreement,” he told committee Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). “We don’t need to spin this up at this point in time…. You need to leave us the window to try to work the diplomatic channel.”

Kerry’s comments exposed again the tension between Congress’ desire to hit Iran with ever-tougher sanctions and the Obama administration’s concern that penalties could undermine diplomacy and strain the international coalition seeking to curb the nuclear program.

The House is weighing a bill that aims to further reduce Iranian oil sales and cut non-oil trade. Sen. Mark Steven Kirk (R-Ill.) is sponsoring a sanctions measure, and other senators are discussing additional legislation, Menendez said.

With the Iranian nuclear program advancing and diplomatic efforts seemingly stalled, lawmakers have been arguing that it is imperative to build further pressure on the Iranian economy as soon as possible.

Menendez sounded unconvinced by Kerry’s plea, saying he sees the “diplomatic window increasingly closing” and fears that Iran is close to having a nuclear weapons capability.

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