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Iran Is Threatened With U.S. Reprisals Over Missile Test Iran Is Threatened With U.S. Reprisals Over Missile Test
(35 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration condemned Iran on Wednesday for its recent test of a ballistic missile, saying it was putting Tehran “on notice” and threatening reprisals, still unspecified, from the United States. WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Wednesday fired a warning shot at a perennial adversary, declaring that it was “putting Iran on notice” after a recent ballistic missile launch, and threatening the Iranian government with unspecified reprisals.
“As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice,” said Michael T. Flynn, the national security adviser, speaking in the White House briefing room. He said Iran’s test was the latest in a series of provocative actions that had destabilized the region and violated United Nations resolutions. “As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice,” said Michael T. Flynn, the national security adviser, making his debut in the White House briefing room to read a terse statement that was almost as critical of the Obama administration as it was of Iran.
Mr. Flynn did not specify how the administration would respond, although other officials have said the White House is weighing sanctions on the Iranian government. Officials planned to brief the news media later on Wednesday afternoon. “The Trump administration condemns such actions by Iran that undermine security, prosperity and stability throughout and beyond the Middle East, and place American lives at risk,” he said.
“The Obama administration failed to respond adequately to Iran’s malign actions,” Mr. Flynn said. Mr. Flynn said the missile test was the latest in a series of provocative actions by Iran and violated a United Nations Security Council resolution restricting its ballistic missile program — something the Iranians deny. Mr. Flynn did not specify how the United States would respond, although other officials have said the White House is weighing sanctions and other measures to counter Iranian initiatives throughout the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.
He said the United States and Iran had signed several agreements that he labeled “weak and ineffective.” Instead of being grateful to the United States, he said, Iran had escalated its provocations. His blunt tone — and lack of specifics — offered an early sign of how President Trump plans to deal with Iran: pushing back against Tehran on multiple fronts and leaving all options, including military action, on the table.
There was no immediate comment from the Iranian government on Mr. Flynn’s remarks. But the National Iranian American Council, a group that has criticized the Iran government while advocating improved ties with the United States, condemned Mr. Flynn. Mr. Flynn singled out Iran’s support for Houthi rebels in Yemen, who recently attacked a Saudi naval vessel.
“While Flynn’s remarks could be construed as simply bluster, they will begin an Iranian response which in turn will beget further threats by the U.S.,” Trita Parsi, the council’s president, said in a statement. “At some point, this escalatory cycle that started with bluster may end in war.” To that end, Defense Department officials said they have been directed to explore ways the United States can challenge Iran in Yemen, where the Houthis have been battling Saudi Arabia and other American allies.
Political risk analysts who follow Iran also expressed concern. Cliff Kupchan, chairman of the Eurasia Group in Washington, called Mr. Flynn’s remarks “very worrisome.” “In these and other similar activities,” Mr. Flynn said, “Iran continues to threaten U.S. friends and allies in the region.”
Mr. Kupchan and others also questioned how Iran’s missile tests had violated the particular Security Council resolution in question, 2231 of 2015, in which Iran is “called upon” to refrain from missile tests but is not specifically forbidden from conducting them. At a subsequent official briefing, a senior administration official said the White House was considering a range of options — and he did not rule out military force. But he also said the administration, in its second week, did not want to be premature or rash in how it confronted Tehran.
Earlier on Wednesday, Iran confirmed that it had recently conducted a missile test, but it rejected accusations from the United States that the launch had violated a United Nations Security Council resolution. The challenge for the administration in contemplating economic pressure is that it would be all but impossible to reassemble the international coalition that imposed draconian sanctions on Iran’s oil and banking industries — and drew Iran into negotiations that resulted in the agreement limiting its nuclear program.
The confirmation by the defense minister, Hossein Dehghan, was the first by an Iranian official since the country was accused of violating the 2015 resolution because the test involved a ballistic missile that could theoretically carry a nuclear warhead. Mr. Flynn pinned much of the blame for Iran’s aggressiveness on former President Barack Obama, saying his administration “failed to respond adequately to Tehran’s malign actions — including weapons transfers, support for terrorism and other violations of international norms.”
The remarks came a day after President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif disparaged President Trump for his immigration order barring refugees, as well as citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries including Iran. He also noted that Mr. Trump had criticized agreements between Iran and the Obama administration as “weak and ineffective.” During the campaign, Mr. Trump spoke of ripping up the Iran nuclear agreement, though his aides now say their focus is less on abrogating that deal than on constraining Iran’s behavior in the region.
“Banning visas for other nations is the act of newcomers to the political scene,” Mr. Rouhani said. In Yemen, for example, the Pentagon is considering stepped-up patrols and perhaps even airstrikes, aimed at preventing Iranian weapons from getting to the Houthis. In addition, Saudi officials are pushing for more support for their air campaign in Yemen, an administration official said. But officials said on Wednesday that there had been no change in the military’s posture.
Mr. Dehghan emphasized that the missile test did not, in Iran’s view, violate the terms of the resolution, nor those of the 2015 nuclear agreement that preceded it. While the Obama administration targeted Houthis and conducted airstrikes against forces aligned with Al Qaeda in Yemen, current and former officials say Mr. Obama was wary of deepening American support for the Saudi air campaign because of concerns about the accuracy of targeting and the large number of civilian casualties.
No country will be allowed to interfere in Iranian domestic affairs, he said, adding that tests would continue. “Obama said all the time, ‘Aim before you shoot,’” said Derek Chollet, who served in the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department during the Obama administration. “Anytime there was one of these heated discussions, and people said, ‘We’ve got to do something,’ he said, ‘O.K., what does the intel say, and where will this take us?’”
“Our nation has tested itself in this path,” Mr. Dehghan said, adding that the world had “tested us” and that “these statements and measures cannot affect the will of our nation.” The Trump administration, however, said it would continue to criticize and draw distinctions with its predecessor.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly described the nuclear agreement, reached with the United States and other countries, as “a very bad deal,” and many of his advisers have argued in speeches and books that Iran is the biggest threat to American interests. “This president is seeking to make the country safer, stronger, more prosperous,” Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said. “I think the president, when it comes — came — to the Iran nuclear deal, was very, very adamant in his opposition to the deal and to its implications.”
“You’re going to see us call them out as we said we would, and you are also going to see us act accordingly,” Nikki R. Haley, the new United States ambassador to the United Nations, said on Tuesday. Mr. Flynn’s tough words left some Iran analysts troubled.
Cliff Kupchan, a political risk analyst at the Eurasia Group in Washington, said the tone was “very worrisome.” He and others also questioned how Iran’s missile test had violated the Security Council resolution in question, in which Iran is “called upon” to refrain from missile tests but is not forbidden to conduct them.
“It’s all Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller right now,” Mr. Kupchan said in an email, referring to the national security adviser and two other hard-line Trump aides. “The ‘revolutionaries’ are running the Trump administration.”
Other analysts, however, said the stiffer tone was overdue.
“It was very sensible for the administration to early on warn Iran of its malign activities,” said Ray Takeyh, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “The fact is that Iran is probably testing the administration to see if there is any pushback. Over the past few years they have not been given too many stern warnings.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Iran confirmed that it had recently conducted a missile test, but it rejected accusations that the launch had violated a Security Council resolution.
The confirmation by the Iranian defense minister, Hossein Dehghan, was the first by an official there since the country was accused of violating the 2015 resolution because the test involved a ballistic missile that could theoretically carry a nuclear warhead.
His remarks came a day after President Hassan Rouhani disparaged Mr. Trump for his order barring refugees, as well as citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries including Iran. “Banning visas for other nations is the act of newcomers to the political scene,” Mr. Rouhani said.
Mr. Dehghan emphasized that the missile test did not, in Iran’s view, violate the resolution, or the 2015 nuclear agreement that preceded it. No country will be allowed to interfere in Iranian domestic affairs, he said, adding that tests would definitely continue. “Our nation has tested itself in this path,” Mr. Dehghan said.
The United States called an urgent meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday to discuss the matter.The United States called an urgent meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday to discuss the matter.
Iran does not have a modern fleet of fighter jets, but it has tried to compensate in recent decades by building an extensive defense program, with missiles able to strike Israel and Southern and Eastern Europe. “You’re going to see us call them out as we said we would, and you are also going to see us act accordingly,” Nikki R. Haley, the new United States ambassador to the United Nations, said on Tuesday.
It has denied that its missiles can carry nuclear warheads, a view that has been supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors parts of the execution of the nuclear agreement.