Summary Nikki Haley had said new sanctions would be announced on Monday
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House on Monday said it was weighing fresh Russia sanctions for Moscow s role "supporting Syria s chemical weapons program", but officials cautioned that no decision has yet been taken.
"We are considering additional sanctions on Russia and a decision will be made in the near future," said press secretary Sarah Sanders.
That message appeared to tap the breaks on imminent punitive economic measures. "We are evaluating but nothing to announce right now," she said.
On Sunday, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said new sanctions would be announced on Monday by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
Haley said the measures would target companies that supplied Damascus with equipment and other material related to chemical weapons, which killed more than 40 people in Douma on April 7 and prompted US-led airstrikes.
"With the political and diplomatic actions that we re taking now, we wanted their friends Iran and Russia to know that we meant business and that they were going to be feeling the pain from this as well," she said.
With an announcement seemingly imminent, officials at the Departments of State and Treasury referred queries back to the White House, while others indicated a Monday announcement was now unlikely.
It is not clear what has caused the apparent delay, but sanctions decisions are usually weeks if not months in the making.
The United States and European allies had discussed a sanctions package in the build up to last week s strikes against targets in Syria, with the American measures said to be further along in the planning process than Europe -- where consensus among member states is needed.
