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 Tension between the Trump administration and Iran continued to rise Wednesday when National Security Adviser Michael Flynn said the White House was putting Tehran "on notice," an apparent threat of retaliation for a recent ballistic missile test. 
 
 Flynn said in a statement that the launch defied a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at keeping Iran from developing nuclear-armed missiles. 
 
 Related: Iran Test-Fires Medium Range Ballistic Missile: U.S. Officials 
 
 Flynn, a retired Army general and former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, delivered his remarks in a surprise appearance at the daily White House press briefing. He cited other examples of what he called Iran's "destabilizing behavior across the Middle East," including reported attacks on U.S. allies by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. 
 
 He pointed out President Trump's disapproval of the Obama administration's agreements with Iran — including, presumably, a multinational deal to lift economic sanctions in exchange for a promise not to develop nuclear weapons — as "weak and ineffective." 
 
 Flynn suggested that the new administration would take a harder line. 
 
 "Instead of being thankful to the United States for these agreements, Iran is now feeling emboldened," Flynn said. "As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice.” 
 
 What exactly that means is unclear. 
 
 Flynn did not take questions after delivering his warning. White House spokesman Sean Spicer declined to elaborate in an afternoon press briefing. 
 
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 National security officials told reporters later that the administration was considering a range of options, including economic sanctions and supporting forces that counter Iranian action in the region. 
 
 They stressed, however, that they saw the missiles and other destabilizing behavior by Iran as separate from the nuclear deal. They would not say whether Trump wants to pull out of the nuclear deal. 
 
 Flynn's message was aimed to get Iran's attention, the officials said. 
 
 Last week, Trump included Iran on a list of seven majority-Muslim countries whose citizens would be temporarily banned from entering the United States. 
 
 Agreement wasn't meant to make Iran "thankful to the US" - it was intended to peacefully rollback Iran's nuclear program, which it did. https://t.co/VAkfctg3Z7 — Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) February 1, 2017 
 
 Iran used to be prohibited from test-firing ballistic missiles under previous U.N. resolutions. However, these were superseded by a new resolution passed alongside the nuclear deal. 
 
 This only "called upon" Iran not to test-fire missiles that could be used to deliver nuclear weapons. Critics of the deal say this wording is effectively a loophole meaning the missile-testing restrictions are not obligatory. 
 
 The government in Tehran says that because it doesn't have a nuclear-weapons program, its missile tests are not violations of this clause. 
 
 Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif didn't confirm or deny the launch during a press conference Tuesday but said, "The missiles aren't part of the nuclear accords," Reuters reported. "Iran will never use missiles produced in Iran to attack any other country." 
 
 Flynn's remarks Wednesday followed assertions Tuesday by Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, that the Trump administration would not "show a blind eye" to Iran's actions. 
 
 "We're gonna act, we're gonna be strong, we're gonna be loud and we're gonna do whatever it takes to protect the American people and the people across the world, because that's what the goal is supposed to be," she said. 
 
 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that he planned to press Trump to renew sanctions against Iran and "take care of this failed nuclear agreement." 
 
 He added, "Iran's aggression must not go unanswered." 
 
 The National Iranian American Council called Flynn's statement "reckless," and said it risked retaliatory behavior. 
 
 "While Flynn’s remarks could be construed as simply bluster, they will beget an Iranian response which in turn will beget further threats by the U.S.," NIAC President Trita Parsi said in a statement. "At some point, this escalatory cycle that started with bluster may end in war." ||||| He added: "Iran will continue to test its capabilities in ballistic missiles and Iran will not ask any country for permission in defending itself." 
 
 Velayati did not identify any U.S. official specifically. 
 
 On Wednesday, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn said the White House was putting Tehran "on notice," an apparent threat of retaliation for Sunday's ballistic missile test. 
 
 Flynn, a retired Army general and former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, delivered his remarks in a surprise appearance at the daily White House press briefing. He cited other examples of what he called Iran's "destabilizing behavior across the Middle East," including reported attacks on U.S. allies by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. 
 
 National security officials told reporters later Wednesday that the administration was considering a range of options, including economic sanctions and supporting forces that counter Iranian action in the region. 
 
 President Donald Trump echoed Flynn's remarks on Twitter early Thursday. 
 
 Iran used to be prohibited from test-firing ballistic missiles under previous U.N. resolutions. However, these were superseded by a new resolution passed alongside the nuclear deal. 
 
 This only "called upon" Iran not to test-fire missiles that could be used to deliver nuclear weapons. Critics of the deal say this wording is effectively a loophole meaning the missile-testing restrictions are not obligatory. 
 
 The government in Tehran says that because it doesn't have a nuclear-weapons program, its missile tests are not violations of this clause. 
 
 Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif didn't confirm or deny the launch during a press conference Tuesday but said, "The missiles aren't part of the nuclear accords," Reuters reported. "Iran will never use missiles produced in Iran to attack any other country." 
 
 The United States deemed the launch to be a failure, after the missile flew more than 500 miles before crashing, according to two officials who spoke to NBC News on Monday on condition of anonymity. 
 
 However, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan told the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Thursday that the missile test was "successful" but also insisted it "was not a violation of a nuclear deal with world powers or any U.N. resolution." ||||| DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Wednesday it had test-fired a new ballistic missile, prompting a tough response from a senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump. 
 
 National security adviser General Michael Flynn (R) delivers a statement next to Press Secretary Sean Spicer during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington U.S., February 1, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria 
 
 Iran’s defense minister said the test did not breach the Islamic Republic’s nuclear agreement with world powers or a U.N. Security Council resolution endorsing the pact, 
 
 Iran has test-fired several ballistic missiles since the nuclear deal in 2015, but the latest test was the first since Trump entered the White House. Trump said during his election campaign that he would stop Iran’s missile program. 
 
 “The recent test was in line with our plans and we will not allow foreigners to interfere in our defense affairs,” Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan told Tasnim news agency. “The test did not violate the nuclear deal or (U.N.) Resolution 2231.” 
 
 Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, said the United States was putting Iran on notice over its “destabilizing activity” after it fired the missile. 
 
 “As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice,” Flynn said, without explaining exactly what that meant. 
 
 Flynn said the missile launch defied the U.N. resolution that called on Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons. 
 
 A U.S. official said Iran had test-launched a medium-range ballistic missile on Sunday and it exploded after traveling 630 miles (1,010 km). 
 
 The Security Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday and recommended the missile testing be studied at committee level. The new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, called the test “unacceptable”. 
 
 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that Tehran would never use its ballistic missiles to attack another country. 
 
 Some 220 Iranian members of parliament reaffirmed support for Tehran’s missile program, calling international condemnation of the tests “illogical.” 
 
 “The Islamic Republic of Iran is against weapons of mass destruction, so its missile capability is the only available deterrence against enemy hostility,” the lawmakers said in a statement carried on state media on Wednesday. 
 
 The state news agency IRNA quoted Ali Shamkhani, head of Iran’s National Security Council, as saying Iran would not seek “permission from any country or international organization for development of our conventional defensive capability”. 
 
 The Security Council resolution was adopted to buttress the deal under which Iran curbed its nuclear activities to allay concerns they could be used to develop atomic bombs, in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. 
 
 The resolution urged Tehran to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons. Critics say the resolution’s language does not make this obligatory. 
 
 Tehran says it has not carried out any work on missiles specifically designed to carry nuclear payloads. 
 
 The test on Sunday, according to U.S. officials, was of a type of missile that had also been tested seven months ago. 
 
 Iran has one of the Middle East’s largest missile programs but it has been dogged by a poor record for accuracy. 
 
 However, Hossein Salami, deputy head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said on the day of the test that the country was now one of the few whose ballistic missiles were capable of hitting moving objects. 
 
 FILE PHOTO: An Iranian national flag flutters during the opening ceremony of the 16th International Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Exhibition (IOGPE) in Tehran April 15, 2011. REUTERS/STR/File Photo 
 
 This would enable Iran to hit enemy ships, drones or incoming ballistic missiles. 
 
 Some of Iran’s precision-guided missiles have the range to strike its regional enemy Israel. 
 
 On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Iran’s new missile test a “flagrant violation” of the U.N. resolution. He said he would ask Trump in their meeting in mid- February for a renewal of sanctions against Iran.
– President Trump's national security adviser said the US is "officially putting Iran on notice," without specifying exactly what that means, Reuters reports. According to NBC News, Michael Flynn made the remark during a "surprise appearance" at a White House press briefing Wednesday. It was spurred by a recent Iranian missile test that Flynn characterized as "destabilizing activity." While Flynn didn't offer specifics on how the US may respond, three senior administration officials tell CNN they are "considering a whole range of options," including everything from economic sanctions to military action. Iran's defense minister says the test doesn't violate the nuclear agreement or a UN resolution. Iran has tested multiple missiles since the nuclear deal in 2015. It says they are "solely for defensive purposes" and not designed to carry nuclear warheads. Trump promised during the campaign to end Iran's missile program. The National Iranian American Council called Flynn's remarks "reckless" and said they may set the US on the path to war.