Obama wouldn’t want to offend his “partners in peace.”

(Reuters) – The White House said on Tuesday that U.S. officials have told Tehran that its new choice for U.N. ambassador, Hamid Abutalebi, is “not viable,” the day after the U.S. Senate passed legislation to bar Abutalebi from entering the United States.

“We’ve informed the government of Iran that this potential selection is not viable,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters, declining to elaborate on whether that would mean that Abutalebi would be barred from the country.

Some members of the U.S. Congress have expressed outrage at the choice of the veteran Iranian diplomat, who they accuse of playing a role in the 1979-81 hostage crisis in Iranwhen U.S. embassy workers were held for 444 days.