After missile test, US considers sanctioning Iran

The United States (US) says it has put Iran “on notice” after it conducted a failed missile test.

On Sunday, Iran tested a medium-range missile, which the US considered a “provocative breach” of a United Nations (UN) security council.

Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, accused the administration of Barack Obama of failing “to respond adequately to Tehran’s malign actions”.

“As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice,” Flynn said.

Flynn said instead of being thankful to the United States for the nuclear deal, “Iran is now feeling emboldened.”

While the exact implications of the threat were unclear, the new administration signaled that Trump intended to do more, possibly including imposing new sanctions, to curb what he sees as defiance of a nuclear deal negotiated in 2015 by Obama.

“The tough talk commits the administration to back up its rhetoric with action, which could cast doubt on the future of the Iran agreement and sow further uncertainty in an already chaotic Middle East,” Reuters quoted experts as saying.

Trump has frequently criticised the Iran nuclear deal, calling the agreement weak and ineffective.

Officials declined to say whether the military option was on the table, although Pentagon spokesman Christopher Sherwood said: “The US military has not changed its posture in response to the Iranian test missile launch”

But Hossein Dehghan, Iran’s defence minister, said his country would not allow foreign countries to interfere in its affairs.

“The recent test was in line with our plans and we will not allow foreigners to interfere in our defence affairs,” Dehghan told the Tasnim news agency.

“The test did not violate the nuclear deal or the [UN] resolution 2231.”