Trump hits Iran with new sanctions for missile test; U.S. judge temporarily blocks Trump’s travel ban nationwide

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration ordered sanctions against more than two-dozen people and companies from the Persian Gulf to China on Friday in retaliation for Iran’s recent ballistic missile test, increasing pressure on Tehran without directly undercutting a landmark nuclear deal with the country.

Those targeted by the Treasury Department include Iranian, Lebanese, Emirati and Chinese individuals and firms involved in procuring ballistic missile technology for Iran. They are now prohibited from doing any business in the United States or with American citizens. The overall impact is likely to be minimal on Iran’s economy, though some of the people and companies have relationships with Iran’s hard-line Revolutionary Guard military forces.

“The days of turning a blind eye to Iran’s hostile and belligerent actions toward the United States and the world community are over,” Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, said in a statement.

Although White House spokesman Sean Spicer acknowledged that much of the legwork had occurred under President Barack Obama, he told reporters the Trump administration “acted swiftly and decisively” after Iran’s recent missile test and Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen firing on a Saudi naval vessel.

It is Trump’s first package of penalties against Iran, reflecting his insistence on a tougher stance toward Tehran. Throughout his election campaign, Trump accused the Obama administration of being weak on Iran, and he vowed to crack down if elected.

Iran has acknowledged that it conducted a missile test. But it insists the test didn’t violate the 2015 nuclear accord it reached with the United States and five other world powers, or a subsequent U.N. Security Council resolution extending an eight-year ban on ballistic missiles “designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.” Washington, under Obama and Trump, and its Western allies agree the matter is separate from the nuclear pact but maintain that the missile tests violate the U.N. ban.

Iran’s foreign ministry on Friday vowed counter-sanctions on American companies and firms.

Also on Friday, a U.S. judge temporarily blocked Trump’s ban on travelers and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries, siding with two states that urged a nationwide hold on the executive order that has launched legal battles across the country.

U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle ruled that Washington state and Minnesota had standing to challenge Trump’s order, which government lawyers disputed, and said they showed their case was likely to succeed.

It wasn’t immediately unclear what happens next for people who had waited years to receive visas to come to America. The Department of Homeland Security wouldn’t comment, but the State Department had previously ordered visas from the seven countries revoked.

Washington became the first state to sue over the order that temporarily bans travel for people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, ­Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen and ­suspends the U.S. refugee ­program.

State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the travel ban significantly harms residents and effectively mandates discrimination. Minnesota joined the lawsuit two days later.

After the ruling, Ferguson said people from the affected countries can now apply for entry to the U.S.

“The law is a powerful thing — it has the ability to hold everybody accountable to it, and that includes the president of the United States,” Ferguson said.

The White House says it will seek an emergency stay of the order.

Up to 60,000 foreigners from the seven majority-Muslim countries had their visas canceled because of the executive order, the State Department said Friday.

That figure contradicts a statement from a Justice Department lawyer on the same day during a court hearing in Virginia about the ban. The lawyer in that case said about 100,000 visas had been revoked.

The State Department clarified that the higher figure includes diplomatic and other visas that were actually exempted from the travel ban, as well as expired visas.

Associated Press writers Josh Lederman, Julie Pace, Nasser Karimi, Alicia A. Caldwell and Martha Bellisle contributed to this report.</s>Trump hits Iran with new sanctions for missile test; U.S. judge temporarily blocks Trump’s travel ban nationwide

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration ordered sanctions against more than two-dozen people and companies from the Persian Gulf to China on Friday in retaliation for Iran’s recent ballistic missile test, increasing pressure on Tehran without directly undercutting a landmark nuclear deal with the country.

Those targeted by the Treasury Department include Iranian, Lebanese, Emirati and Chinese individuals and firms involved in procuring ballistic missile technology for Iran. They are now prohibited from doing any business in the United States or with American citizens. The overall impact is likely to be minimal on Iran’s economy, though some of the people and companies have relationships with Iran’s hard-line Revolutionary Guard military forces.

“The days of turning a blind eye to Iran’s hostile and belligerent actions toward the United States and the world community are over,” Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, said in a statement.

Although White House spokesman Sean Spicer acknowledged that much of the legwork had occurred under President Barack Obama, he told reporters the Trump administration “acted swiftly and decisively” after Iran’s recent missile test and Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen firing on a Saudi naval vessel.

It is Trump’s first package of penalties against Iran, reflecting his insistence on a tougher stance toward Tehran. Throughout his election campaign, Trump accused the Obama administration of being weak on Iran, and he vowed to crack down if elected.

Iran has acknowledged that it conducted a missile test. But it insists the test didn’t violate the 2015 nuclear accord it reached with the United States and five other world powers, or a subsequent U.N. Security Council resolution extending an eight-year ban on ballistic missiles “designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.” Washington, under Obama and Trump, and its Western allies agree the matter is separate from the nuclear pact but maintain that the missile tests violate the U.N. ban.

Iran’s foreign ministry on Friday vowed counter-sanctions on American companies and firms.

Also on Friday, a U.S. judge temporarily blocked Trump’s ban on travelers and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries, siding with two states that urged a nationwide hold on the executive order that has launched legal battles across the country.

U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle ruled that Washington state and Minnesota had standing to challenge Trump’s order, which government lawyers disputed, and said they showed their case was likely to succeed.

It wasn’t immediately unclear what happens next for people who had waited years to receive visas to come to America. The Department of Homeland Security wouldn’t comment, but the State Department had previously ordered visas from the seven countries revoked.

Washington became the first state to sue over the order that temporarily bans travel for people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, ­Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen and ­suspends the U.S. refugee ­program.

State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the travel ban significantly harms residents and effectively mandates discrimination. Minnesota joined the lawsuit two days later.

After the ruling, Ferguson said people from the affected countries can now apply for entry to the U.S.

“The law is a powerful thing — it has the ability to hold everybody accountable to it, and that includes the president of the United States,” Ferguson said.

The White House says it will seek an emergency stay of the order.

Up to 60,000 foreigners from the seven majority-Muslim countries had their visas canceled because of the executive order, the State Department said Friday.

That figure contradicts a statement from a Justice Department lawyer on the same day during a court hearing in Virginia about the ban. The lawyer in that case said about 100,000 visas had been revoked.

The State Department clarified that the higher figure includes diplomatic and other visas that were actually exempted from the travel ban, as well as expired visas.

Associated Press writers Josh Lederman, Julie Pace, Nasser Karimi, Alicia A. Caldwell and Martha Bellisle contributed to this report.</s>Trump hits Iran with new sanctions for missile test; U.S. judge temporarily blocks Trump’s travel ban nationwide

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration ordered sanctions against more than two-dozen people and companies from the Persian Gulf to China on Friday in retaliation for Iran’s recent ballistic missile test, increasing pressure on Tehran without directly undercutting a landmark nuclear deal with the country.

Those targeted by the Treasury Department include Iranian, Lebanese, Emirati and Chinese individuals and firms involved in procuring ballistic missile technology for Iran. They are now prohibited from doing any business in the United States or with American citizens. The overall impact is likely to be minimal on Iran’s economy, though some of the people and companies have relationships with Iran’s hard-line Revolutionary Guard military forces.

“The days of turning a blind eye to Iran’s hostile and belligerent actions toward the United States and the world community are over,” Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, said in a statement.

Although White House spokesman Sean Spicer acknowledged that much of the legwork had occurred under President Barack Obama, he told reporters the Trump administration “acted swiftly and decisively” after Iran’s recent missile test and Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen firing on a Saudi naval vessel.

It is Trump’s first package of penalties against Iran, reflecting his insistence on a tougher stance toward Tehran. Throughout his election campaign, Trump accused the Obama administration of being weak on Iran, and he vowed to crack down if elected.

Iran has acknowledged that it conducted a missile test. But it insists the test didn’t violate the 2015 nuclear accord it reached with the United States and five other world powers, or a subsequent U.N. Security Council resolution extending an eight-year ban on ballistic missiles “designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.” Washington, under Obama and Trump, and its Western allies agree the matter is separate from the nuclear pact but maintain that the missile tests violate the U.N. ban.

Iran’s foreign ministry on Friday vowed counter-sanctions on American companies and firms.

Also on Friday, a U.S. judge temporarily blocked Trump’s ban on travelers and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries, siding with two states that urged a nationwide hold on the executive order that has launched legal battles across the country.

U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle ruled that Washington state and Minnesota had standing to challenge Trump’s order, which government lawyers disputed, and said they showed their case was likely to succeed.

It wasn’t immediately unclear what happens next for people who had waited years to receive visas to come to America. The Department of Homeland Security wouldn’t comment, but the State Department had previously ordered visas from the seven countries revoked.

Washington became the first state to sue over the order that temporarily bans travel for people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, ­Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen and ­suspends the U.S. refugee ­program.

State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the travel ban significantly harms residents and effectively mandates discrimination. Minnesota joined the lawsuit two days later.

After the ruling, Ferguson said people from the affected countries can now apply for entry to the U.S.

“The law is a powerful thing — it has the ability to hold everybody accountable to it, and that includes the president of the United States,” Ferguson said.

The White House says it will seek an emergency stay of the order.

Up to 60,000 foreigners from the seven majority-Muslim countries had their visas canceled because of the executive order, the State Department said Friday.

That figure contradicts a statement from a Justice Department lawyer on the same day during a court hearing in Virginia about the ban. The lawyer in that case said about 100,000 visas had been revoked.

The State Department clarified that the higher figure includes diplomatic and other visas that were actually exempted from the travel ban, as well as expired visas.

Associated Press writers Josh Lederman, Julie Pace, Nasser Karimi, Alicia A. Caldwell and Martha Bellisle contributed to this report.</s>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has said the U.S. is "putting Iran on notice" after it test-fired a ballistic missile earlier this week. It is the latest launch in a long-standing development program that Iran boasts has produced missiles capable of traveling 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) — a range that can reach much of the Middle East, including Israel.

Here is a look at issues surrounding the missile launch:

FILE -- In this Dec. 29, 2016 file photo, released by the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), a long-range S-200 missile is fired in a military drill in the port city of Bushehr, on the northern coast of Persian Gulf, Iran. President Donald Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has said the U.S. is "putting Iran on notice" after it test-fired a ballistic missile earlier this week. Iran has test-fired various ballistic missiles since the July 2015 nuclear deal and it's unclear, from a technological standpoint, what is different about the latest launch. (Amir Kholousi, ISNA via AP, File)

Iran has test-fired various ballistic missiles since its July 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and it's unclear, from a technological standpoint, what is different about the latest launch. The U.S. says it was a medium-range ballistic missile, and an American defense official described it as failing re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Iranian officials have acknowledged carrying out a test but have not provided details.

The sharp U.S. response appears to reflect the fact that it's the first Iranian ballistic missile test under President Donald Trump's watch. Trump has vowed repeatedly to take a tougher line toward Iran than President Barack Obama, threatening at various times to renegotiate or even dismantle the nuclear deal, and shoot Iranian boats out of the water if they provoke U.S. naval vessels. American officials say they're considering various options to respond to Iran's missile test. Putting Iran "on notice" is the first manifestation of the new, toughened-up approach.

The landmark nuclear deal does not strictly prohibit Iran from test-firing missiles. When the deal came into effect last year the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution calling on Iran not to take any actions related to ballistic missiles "designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons" for eight years. Iranian officials have argued that the measure only applies to missiles specifically designed to carry nuclear warheads. They say theirs aren't. The U.S., under Obama and Trump, and other Western nations say the Iranian tests are violations.</s>US president Donald Trump said on Thursday he had put Iran “on notice” after it conducted a ballistic missile test earlier this week and Tehran-backed rebels in Yemen targeted a Saudi frigate in the Red Sea.

“Iran has been formally PUT ON NOTICE for firing a ballistic missile. Should have been thankful for the terrible deal the US made with them!” Mr Trump tweeted, adding that “Iran was on its last legs and ready to collapse until the US came along and gave it a lifeline”.

Mr Trump’s remarks came as Germany’s Die Welt newspaper cited German intelligence sources as saying that Iran had also test-fired a new cruise missile called the Sumar on Sunday that is believed to be capable of carrying a nuclear weapon and has an upper range of 3,000 kilometres. The missile’s technical capabilities were not possible to verify.

Cruise missiles can be controlled in flight, and also fly at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles, making them a much harder target for missile defence systems. According to a Reuters translation, a security expert told Die Welt that cruise missiles are not covered by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear deal agreed between Iran and world powers in July 2015.

Mr Trump’s tweets on Thursday reiterated a message delivered by his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, on Wednesday night. Sunday’s “provocative” ballistic missile test and the Houthi ship attack, which was announced by the Saudi-led coalition on Monday, underscore “Iran’s destabilising behaviour across the entire Middle East”, Mr Flynn said.

The national security adviser also claimed the administration of Barack Obama had “failed to respond adequately to Tehran’s malign actions, including weapons transfers, support for terrorism and other violations of international norms”.

Senior White House officials said later that Iran was providing weapons, financing and training to the Houthi rebels in order to “build a long-term presence in Yemen”.

Mr Flynn did not say the latest Iranian ballistic missile test was a violation of the nuclear accord, but that it was “in defiance” of it. Resolution 2231 only “calls upon” Iran to refrain from ballistic missile activity designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. Iranian officials claim the missiles are not designed for this purpose and are purely defensive. Previous Iranian missile tests carried out since the nuclear deal took effect in January last year have been found by the Security Council to not be in breach of the accord.

Neither the US president nor Mr Flynn provided details of what exactly putting Iran on notice meant in practice, or if there would be a new strategy of containing Tehran’s regional ambitions – something that Washington’s Gulf partners have long called for.

Mr Trump spoke with Saudi and Emirati leaders last week, and the new US defence secretary, James Mattis, spoke with his Saudi counterpart on Tuesday.

Russia, with whom Mr Trump wants increased cooperation to fight extremists in the Middle East, is a partner of Tehran and does not consider the missile tests a violation.

White House national security officials would not rule out any response, including military action, saying only that “a range of options” are being considered, including economic sanctions and increased support for Iran’s adversaries.

“We do not want to be premature or rash or take any action that would foreclose options or unnecessarily contribute to a negative response,” one of the officials said.

Also on Thursday, defence minster Hossein Dehghan provided Iran’s first confirmation that a new medium-range ballistic missile was tested on Sunday. He said it was successful, contrary to US claims that it malfunctioned and detonated prematurely.

“The test was not a violation of a nuclear deal with world powers or any UN resolution,” Mr told Iranian state media.

Mr Dehghan’s confirmation came as a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, responded to the US warnings.

“This is not the first time that an inexperienced person has threatened Iran … the American government will understand that threatening Iran is useless,” Ali Akbar Velayati told Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, referring to Mr Trump.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday his administration has put Iran “on notice,” echoing comments from his top national security adviser that the U.S. will act against Iran unless it stops testing ballistic missiles and supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Trump and his National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, didn’t elaborate on what retaliatory actions the U.S. could pursue.

Trump tweeted, “Iran was on its last legs and ready to collapse until the U.S. came along and gave it a life-line in the form of the Iran Deal: $150 billion.”

He also tweeted, “Iran has been formally PUT ON NOTICE for firing a ballistic missile. Should have been thankful for the terrible deal the U.S. made with them!”

Flynn on Wednesday forcefully denounced Iran’s behavior in his first public remarks since Trump took office. He accused Iran of threatening U.S. allies and spreading instability throughout the Middle East while faulting the Obama administration for doing too little to stop the Islamic Republic.

“As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice,” Flynn said from the White House podium.

On notice for what, Flynn didn’t say. Senior Trump administration officials said they were actively considering a “range of options” including economic measures and increased support for Iran’s regional adversaries. The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, declined repeatedly to say whether military action is being considered.

The warning was an early manifestation of Trump’s promise of a tougher American approach to Iran. Yet administration officials emphasized that their allegations were unrelated to Iran’s obligations under the Iran nuclear deal that President Barack Obama and world leaders negotiated. Though Flynn noted Trump has criticized that deal, officials declined to say whether Trump planned to follow through on his campaign pledge to renegotiate it.

“The Obama administration failed to respond adequately to Tehran’s malign actions — including weapons transfers, support for terrorism and other violations of international norms,” Flynn said.

The White House also faulted Iran for backing Houthi rebels in Yemen who on Tuesday claimed a successful missile strike against a warship belonging to a Saudi-led coalition fighting to reinstall Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The media arm of the Shiite rebels said the vessel was believed to belong to the Saudi Arabian navy.

Administration officials said Iran was providing key support by arming, training and financing the rebels, with a goal of leveraging its relationship with the Houthis to “build a long-term presence in Yemen.”

The White House said the goal in putting Iran “on notice” was to signal to Tehran that it needed to rethink its behavior. Flynn said Iran specifically violated the U.N.’s ban on “activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.”

Iran’s Defense Minister Gen. Hossein Dehghan confirmed Wednesday that Iran conducted a missile test, but did not say when the test was carried out or specify the type of missile. He insisted it wasn’t a violation of U.N. resolutions.

The U.S. said the test was of a medium-range ballistic missile. It ended with a “failed” re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, said a U.S. defense official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Reports of the test emerged after Trump signed an executive order last week temporarily suspending immigration from Iran and six other majority-Muslim countries.

On one point, the U.S. and Iran agree: The test didn’t violate the nuclear deal itself.

Ballistic missile testing wasn’t explicitly included in the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers. But as part of the final negotiations, Iran agreed to an eight-year extension of a U.N. ban on ballistic missile development. The U.N. Security Council later endorsed the agreement, calling on Iran not to carry out such tests. But Iran has flouted the prohibition regularly in the past year-and-a-half, drawing sanctions from the U.S. but also diplomatic cover from Russia.

At the request of the U.S., the U.N. Security Council held a session Tuesday to address the missile test. The council referred the matter to its committee on Iran and asked for an investigation.

Iran has long boasted of having missiles that can travel 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), putting much of the Middle East, including Israel, in range. Such capability would also put U.S. bases in the region in danger. Iran says its missiles are key to deterring a U.S. or Israeli attack.

In March, Iran test-fired two ballistic missiles. One was emblazoned with the phrase “Israel must be wiped out” in Hebrew, sparking international outcry.</s>Trump hits Iran with new sanctions for missile test; U.S. judge temporarily blocks Trump’s travel ban nationwide

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration ordered sanctions against more than two-dozen people and companies from the Persian Gulf to China on Friday in retaliation for Iran’s recent ballistic missile test, increasing pressure on Tehran without directly undercutting a landmark nuclear deal with the country.

Those targeted by the Treasury Department include Iranian, Lebanese, Emirati and Chinese individuals and firms involved in procuring ballistic missile technology for Iran. They are now prohibited from doing any business in the United States or with American citizens. The overall impact is likely to be minimal on Iran’s economy, though some of the people and companies have relationships with Iran’s hard-line Revolutionary Guard military forces.

“The days of turning a blind eye to Iran’s hostile and belligerent actions toward the United States and the world community are over,” Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, said in a statement.

Although White House spokesman Sean Spicer acknowledged that much of the legwork had occurred under President Barack Obama, he told reporters the Trump administration “acted swiftly and decisively” after Iran’s recent missile test and Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen firing on a Saudi naval vessel.

It is Trump’s first package of penalties against Iran, reflecting his insistence on a tougher stance toward Tehran. Throughout his election campaign, Trump accused the Obama administration of being weak on Iran, and he vowed to crack down if elected.

Iran has acknowledged that it conducted a missile test. But it insists the test didn’t violate the 2015 nuclear accord it reached with the United States and five other world powers, or a subsequent U.N. Security Council resolution extending an eight-year ban on ballistic missiles “designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.” Washington, under Obama and Trump, and its Western allies agree the matter is separate from the nuclear pact but maintain that the missile tests violate the U.N. ban.

Iran’s foreign ministry on Friday vowed counter-sanctions on American companies and firms.

Also on Friday, a U.S. judge temporarily blocked Trump’s ban on travelers and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries, siding with two states that urged a nationwide hold on the executive order that has launched legal battles across the country.

U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle ruled that Washington state and Minnesota had standing to challenge Trump’s order, which government lawyers disputed, and said they showed their case was likely to succeed.

It wasn’t immediately unclear what happens next for people who had waited years to receive visas to come to America. The Department of Homeland Security wouldn’t comment, but the State Department had previously ordered visas from the seven countries revoked.

Washington became the first state to sue over the order that temporarily bans travel for people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, ­Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen and ­suspends the U.S. refugee ­program.

State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the travel ban significantly harms residents and effectively mandates discrimination. Minnesota joined the lawsuit two days later.

After the ruling, Ferguson said people from the affected countries can now apply for entry to the U.S.

“The law is a powerful thing — it has the ability to hold everybody accountable to it, and that includes the president of the United States,” Ferguson said.

The White House says it will seek an emergency stay of the order.

Up to 60,000 foreigners from the seven majority-Muslim countries had their visas canceled because of the executive order, the State Department said Friday.

That figure contradicts a statement from a Justice Department lawyer on the same day during a court hearing in Virginia about the ban. The lawyer in that case said about 100,000 visas had been revoked.

The State Department clarified that the higher figure includes diplomatic and other visas that were actually exempted from the travel ban, as well as expired visas.

Associated Press writers Josh Lederman, Julie Pace, Nasser Karimi, Alicia A. Caldwell and Martha Bellisle contributed to this report.</s>The U.S. Treasury Department announced additional sanctions on Iran on Friday, less than a week after a ballistic missile test prompted the Trump administration to accuse Iran of violating an international a weapons agreement.

The newly announced sanctions target people and businesses the U.S. government says support Iran's ballistic missile program and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, according to a Treasury Department statement. They are in line with previous sanctions, implemented over what then-President Barack Obama called Iran's "violations of human rights, for its support of terrorism and for its ballistic missile program."

The acting director of the Treasury unit in charge of sanctions, John Smith, said the latest sanctions do not violate the international nuclear deal reached with Iran in 2015, which required Iran to scale back its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some economic sanctions.

A top Treasury Department official tells NPR's Michele Kelemen that the actions are part of the U.S. efforts to counter Iranian "malign activity abroad."

The public text of the sanctions lists 12 companies and 13 individuals, blocking assets and prohibiting U.S. citizens from dealing with them. Among the individuals, four are listed as Iranian citizens, two are Lebanese, one is Chinese, and one holds a passport from the island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. It also announced changes to previous, unrelated sanctions on a 14th individual.

The businesses are based both inside and outside Iran.

According to the Treasury Department, the sanctions target:



Hours before the sanctions were announced, President Trump addressed Iran in a tweet, writing, "Iran is playing with fire — they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!"

Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, tweeted an hour later that "we will never use our weapons against anyone, except in self-defense."

Both U.S. and Iranian officials weighed in on whether Sunday's missile test broke the terms of the nuclear deal.

Acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner told The Associated Press on Monday that the U.S. was looking into whether the test violated a 2015 side agreement to the nuclear accord, and that the U.S. would "hold Iran accountable" if it did.

Zarif said Tuesday, that "the missile issue is not part of the nuclear deal."

National Security Adviser Mike Flynn said a day later that former President Barack Obama had gone too easy on Iran, but that "as of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice."

Flynn also listed the administration's grievances with Tehran, including its test of a ballistic missile and what he said were attacks by proxy forces in Yemen on U.S. and Middle Eastern ships, as we reported.

One of the incidents he appeared to be referring to occurred in October 2016, when U.S. Navy ships off Yemen's southwestern coast came under missile attacks twice in four days.

According to the Pentagon, the missiles came from an area controlled by Houthi forces, who are fighting against the government of Yemen and who the U.S. government says are backed by the Iranian government, which is supplying weapons to the rebel group.

But it was unclear who ordered October's missile launches, as NPR's Philip Ewing reported. Houthi leaders denied the attacks, and Tehran has denied U.S. accusations that Iran is supporting Houthi forces. Nonetheless, the U.S. carried out airstrikes against what the Pentagon said were radar installations in Houthi-controlled areas.

In December, Congress extended U.S. sanctions against Iran originally imposed in 1996 until 2026.</s>The U.S. Treasury Department announced additional sanctions on Iran on Friday, less than a week after a ballistic missile test prompted the Trump administration to accuse Iran of violating an international a weapons agreement.

The newly announced sanctions target 12 companies and 14 individuals, blocking assets and prohibiting U.S. citizens from dealing with them. Among the individuals, four are listed as Iranian citizens, two are Lebanese, one is Chinese, and one holds a passport from the island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

The businesses are based both inside and outside Iran.

According to the Treasury Department, the sanctions target:



Hours before the sanctions were announced, President Trump addressed Iran in a tweet, writing "Iran is playing with fire — they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!"

On Wednesday, National Security Adviser Mike Flynn also said former President Barack Obama had gone too easy on Iran, but that "as of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice."

Flynn also listed the administration's grievances with Tehran, including its test of a ballistic missile and what he said were attacks by proxy forces in Yemen on U.S. and Middle Eastern ships, as we reported.

Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said his country would not yield to "useless" U.S. threats from "an inexperienced person" over its ballistic missile program, according to Reuters. Velayati did not specify which so-called inexperienced person he was referring to.</s>Vivian Salama and Josh Lederma, The Associated Press 

 



WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday his administration has put Iran "on notice," echoing comments from his top national security adviser that the U.S. will act against Iran unless it stops testing ballistic missiles and supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Trump and his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, didn't elaborate on what retaliatory actions the U.S. could pursue.

Trump tweeted, "Iran has been formally PUT ON NOTICE for firing a ballistic missile. Should have been thankful for the terrible deal the U.S. made with them!"

He added in another tweet: "Iran was on its last legs and ready to collapse until the U.S. came along and gave it a life-line in the form of the Iran Deal: $150 billion."

As part of the nuclear deal struck during the Obama administration, Iran received access to an estimated $100 billion of its own money that had been frozen in foreign bank accounts. The U.S. did not give Iran $150 billion.

Flynn on Wednesday forcefully denounced Iran's behaviour in his first public remarks since Trump took office. He accused Iran of threatening U.S. allies and spreading instability throughout the Middle East while faulting the Obama administration for doing too little to stop the Islamic Republic.

"As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice," Flynn said from the White House podium.

On notice for what, Flynn didn't say. Senior Trump administration officials said they were actively considering a "range of options" including economic measures and increased support for Iran's regional adversaries. The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, declined repeatedly to say whether military action is being considered.

Iran's acting commander of the elite Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, responded in comments to the semi-official Tasnim news agency Thursday, saying Iran will "never change direction by a world power's demand, and our missile and nonmissile power will be updated every day."

Salami added, "If our missile power was not such a power to put fear into the hearts of Americans, there is no reason for these controversies."

The warning was an early manifestation of Trump's promise of a tougher American approach to Iran. Yet administration officials emphasized that their allegations were unrelated to Iran's obligations under the Iran nuclear deal that President Barack Obama and world leaders negotiated. Though Flynn noted Trump has criticized that deal, officials declined to say whether Trump planned to follow through on his campaign pledge to renegotiate it.

"The Obama administration failed to respond adequately to Tehran's malign actions -- including weapons transfers, support for terrorism and other violations of international norms," Flynn said.

The White House also faulted Iran for backing Houthi rebels in Yemen who on Tuesday claimed a successful missile strike against a warship belonging to a Saudi-led coalition fighting to reinstall Yemen's internationally recognized government. The media arm of the Shiite rebels said the vessel was believed to belong to the Saudi Arabian navy.

Administration officials said Iran was providing key support by arming, training and financing the rebels, with a goal of leveraging its relationship with the Houthis to "build a long-term presence in Yemen."

The White House said the goal in putting Iran "on notice" was to signal to Tehran that it needed to rethink its behaviour. Flynn said Iran specifically violated the U.N.'s ban on "activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology."

Iran's Defence Minister Gen. Hossein Dehghan confirmed Wednesday that Iran conducted a missile test, but did not say when the test was carried out or specify the type of missile. He insisted it wasn't a violation of U.N. resolutions.

The U.S. said the test was of a medium-range ballistic missile. It ended with a "failed" re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, said a U.S. defence official, who wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Reports of the test emerged after Trump signed an executive order last week temporarily suspending immigration from Iran and six other majority-Muslim countries.

On one point, the U.S. and Iran agree: The test didn't violate the nuclear deal itself.

Ballistic missile testing wasn't explicitly included in the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers. But as part of the final negotiations, Iran agreed to an eight-year extension of a U.N. ban on ballistic missile development. The U.N. Security Council later endorsed the agreement, calling on Iran not to carry out such tests. But Iran has flouted the prohibition regularly in the past year-and-a-half, drawing sanctions from the U.S. but also diplomatic cover from Russia.

At the request of the U.S., the U.N. Security Council held a session Tuesday to address the missile test. The council referred the matter to its committee on Iran and asked for an investigation.

Iran has long boasted of having missiles that can travel 2,000 kilometres, about 1,200 miles, putting much of the Middle East, including Israel, in range. Such capability would also put U.S. bases in the region in danger. Iran says its missiles are key to deterring a U.S. or Israeli attack.

In March, Iran test-fired two ballistic missiles. One was emblazoned with the phrase "Israel must be wiped out" in Hebrew, sparking international outcry.

Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran and Jill Colvin contributed to this report.
The United States Department of the Treasury announces new sanctions against Iran in response to the latter's recent ballistic missile test. Thirteen people and twelve entities with ties to Iran have been affected.