filephoto“Recent Iranian actions, including a provocative ballistic missile launch and an attack against a Saudi naval vessel conducted by Iran-supported Houthi militants, underscore what should have been clear to the international community all along about Iran’s destabilizing behavior across the Middle East.
The recent ballistic missile launch is also in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which calls upon Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.”
These are just the latest of a series of incidents in the past six months in which Houthi forces that Iran has trained and armed have struck Emirati and Saudi vessels, and threatened U.S. and allied vessels transiting the Red Sea. In these and other similar activities, Iran continues to threaten U.S. friends and allies in the region.
The Obama Administration failed to respond adequately to Tehran’s malign actions—including weapons transfers, support for terrorism, and other violations of international norms. 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.
President Trump has severely criticized the various agreements reached between Iran and the Obama Administration, as well as the United Nations – as being weak and ineffective.
Instead of being thankful to the United States for these agreements, Iran is now feeling emboldened.
As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice.”
In the 114th Congress, legislation passed the House known as the Iran Accountability Act H.S. 5631 that included the following action and text in part:
TITLE I—SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO ENTITIES OWNED BY
IRAN’S REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS
Sec. 101. Imposition of sanctions with respect to the IRGC.
Sec. 102. Additional sanctions with respect to foreign persons that support or
conduct certain transactions with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
Corps or other sanctioned persons.
Sec. 103. IRGC watch list and report.
Sec. 104. Imposition of sanctions against Mahan Air.
Sec. 105. Modification and extension of reporting requirements on the use of
certain Iranian seaports by foreign vessels and use of foreign
airports by sanctioned Iranian air carriers.
TITLE II—IRAN BALLISTIC MISSILE SANCTIONS
Sec. 201. Expansion of sanctions with respect to efforts by Iran to acquire ballistic
missile and related technology.
Sec. 202. Expansion of sanctions under Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 with respect
to persons that acquire or develop ballistic missiles.
Sec. 203. Imposition of sanctions with respect to ballistic missile program of
Iran.
Sec. 204. Expansion of mandatory sanctions with respect to financial institutions
that engage in certain transactions relating to ballistic
missile capabilities of Iran.
Sec. 205. Disclosure to the Securities and Exchange Commission of activities
with certain sectors of Iran that support the ballistic missile
program of Iran.
Sec. 206. Regulations.
TITLE III—SANCTIONS RELATING TO IRAN’S SUPPORT OF
TERRORISM
Sec. 301. Special measures with respect to Iran relating to its designation as
a jurisdiction of primary money laundering concern.
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Iran confirmed for the first time that it recently carried out a missile test and told other nations not to meddle in its defense affairs, hours after the U.S. called the launch unacceptable and vowed to act.
Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan on Wednesday said the test was part of Iran’s ongoing defense program, according to Tasnim news agency. “We have no other aim but to defend our interests and in this path we will neither seek permission nor allow anyone to interfere.”
The launch, in just the second week of Donald Trump’s presidency, is the first test of the new U.S. administration’s policy on the Islamic Republic. A United Nations resolution that endorses world powers’ 2015 nuclear deal with Iran calls on it not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic technology. Iran has maintained it does not have a nuclear weapons program.
After an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday that the U.S. called to discuss the missile issue, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said Iran’s launch was “absolutely unacceptable.” The U.S. is “not going to stand by, you will see us call them out as we said we would and we will act accordingly,” she said, without elaborating.
