U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser on Wednesday denounced Iran's ballistic missile launch and said Tehran is putting at risk the nuclear agreement it reached in 2015 with the United States and other major powers.
Retired General Michael Flynn condemned the missile launch, declaring it "just the latest in a series of incidents" in which Iran has threatened the U.S. and its regional allies over the past six months. He said leaders in Tehran were emboldened to take such action now because the nuclear agreement is "weak and ineffective," and because the other nations involved in the agreement failed to take action to rein in Iran's military ambitions.
During a briefing at the White House, Flynn accused former President Barack Obama and other members of his administration of not being tough enough on Tehran.
“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 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.”
Flynn added, "As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice." He did not explain his comment further, and threaten any specific action against Tehran.
Late Wednesday, senior White House officials said Iran's ballistic missile launch and its support for Houthi rebels in Yemen are provocative, are destabilizing the region and are threatening multiple countries, including U.S. allies. The officials said the United States will respond “appropriately.”
Asked what kind of action the U.S. might take, the officials would only say they have a large range of options available. However, senior White House officials said the Iranian missile launch and a possible U.S. response are separate from the Iran nuclear deal, and that the White House is not accusing Iran of violating the original agreement.
Iran confirmed Wednesday that it carried out a missile launch Sunday, but said this did not violate the nuclear agreement by six world powers and Tehran in 2015. U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, adopted after the nuclear deal was reached, called on Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles, but it did not specifically ban such activity.