The United States and Iran traded threats Thursday as both nations sought new footing in a power struggle that could jeopardize the landmark international nuclear accord that President Trump has called “the worst deal ever negotiated.”
The Trump administration was preparing additional economic penalties on Iran related to the country’s recent ballistic missile test, with an announcement expected as soon as Friday, according to a U.S. official.
When asked whether his administration’s tough new posture could mean a military strike, Trump answered, “Nothing’s off the table.”
That followed the White House broadside Wednesday in which national security adviser Michael Flynn warned that Iran is “on notice” over the test launch. He also cited Iran’s support of rebels seeking to overthrow a U.S.-backed government in Yemen.
“This is not the first time that an inexperienced person has threatened Iran,” Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, was quoted by Reuters as saying Thursday. “Iran does not need permission from any country to defend itself.”
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“Clearly, we wanted to make sure that Iran understood that they are on notice this is not going unresponded to,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said.
White House officials have refused to clarify the “on notice” statement either on record or anonymously, but it could indicate additional economic sanctions, military repositioning or the first moves to undermine the nuclear accord that the Obama administration counted as a signature foreign policy accomplishment.
The Full Story (February 2, 2017)
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