Skelton calls for Iran sanctions

The revelation that Iran constructed and still operates a second uranium refinement plant warrants new international sanctions, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee stressed Friday.

"The news that we got, of course, is very troubling. France and Great Britain are alongside of us in trying to do something, and I think they should move ahead with the sanctions they've been talking about," Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) told MSNBC.

"It's really troubling that, being a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, they choose to hide and withhold information from the [International Atomic Energy Association], and I think we need to push those sanctions as best we can," he added.

Lawmakers in both parties seem to be warming to the idea of new sanctions on Iran. This week alone, Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) have also signaled their support for congressional action to deter Iran's nuclear program, and Skelton on Friday added his and House Foreign Affairs Chairman Howard Berman's (D-Calif.) names to that list, explaining that the congressman intends to push a bill through his committee that accomplished that very objective.

"I think we need -- regardless of what they try to do -- we need to push those sanctions," Skelton said. "If they were really trying to do this for peaceful purposes, they would [not hide] the fact they're enriching this uranium."