President Donald Trump sanctioned the Islamic Republic of Iran Friday for conducting missile tests in violation of United Nations sanctions Sunday.
The sanctions target 13 Iranian citizens associated with the ballistic missile program, along with 12 companies connected to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The sanctions come after Trump’s Friday morning missive, warning the country not to conduct more missile tests.
Trump has repeatedly blamed the Obama administration for failing to curb Iran’s increasingly aggressive ballistic missile tests after the signing of the 2015 nuclear deal.
National Security Advisor Michael Flynn issued a statement Friday saying, “The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate Iran’s provocations that threaten our interests,” adding “the days of turning a blind eye to Iran’s hostile and belligerent actions toward the United States and the world community are over.”
The Department of the Treasury’s new sanctions come after Flynn appeared at the White House podium Wednesday to “put Iran on notice” for its actions. Flynn noted that Iran’s ballistic missile test is in violation of U.N. resolution 2231, and that its actions would not be tolerated under the new administration.
U.N. Resolution 2231 sanctioned Iran’s ballistic missile program after the Iranian nuclear deal was signed. The deal lifted some sanctions on Iran including cash repatriation, and allowed U.S. businesses to pursue business in the country. Critics of the deal say Iran’s aggressive behavior was not curtailed.
“We are considering a whole range of options. We’re in a deliberative process,” a senior U.S. official told reporters after Flynn’s warning. “We are in the process of evaluating the strategic options and the framework for how we want to approach these issues,” adding, “Our sincere hope is that the Iranians will heed this notice today and will change their behavior.”
A top adviser to Iranian Ayatollah Khamenei responded to the declaration saying, “This is not the first time that an inexperienced person has threatened Iran … the American government will understand that threatening Iran is useless,” reports the Associated Press. “Iran does not need permission from any country to defend itself.”
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