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New US Sanctions on Iran Could Be Just the Start

by Jeff Seldin

   The United States took its first steps in backing up tough talk about
   Iran, slapping new sanctions on 13 individuals and 12 entities linked
   to Tehran's ballistic missile program and its proxies across the Middle
   East.

   The targets include Iranian support networks in China and the United
   Arab Emirates that have been working to help Tehran obtain technology
   and materials needed to advance its ballistic missile program.

   The Treasury Department said sanctions were also levied on individuals
   and networks working with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps'
   elite Quds Force and the Iranian-backed Lebanese terror group
   Hezbollah.

   "These are just initial steps in response to Iranian provocative
   behavior," a senior administration official warned, calling Iran's
   recent behavior "not sustainable, not acceptable."

   FILE - In this photo obtained from the Iranian Fars News Agency, a Qadr
   H long-range ballistic surface-to-surface missile is fired by Iran's
   Revolutionary Guard, during a maneuver, in an undisclosed location in
   Iran, March 9, 2016.

   "Iran has a choice to make," the official added. "We will work
   positively with Iran when it abides by its international commitments
   while underscoring our commitment to aggressively counter Iran's
   destabilizing activities."

   'Clear threat'

   Friday's actions came as a result of what U.S. officials described as
   an ongoing process that included consultations with key U.S. agencies
   and also U.S. allies.

   But officials said the trigger was Iran's January 29 test of a
   ballistic missile, which was "in defiance" of a U.N. resolution barring
   Iran from engaging in such tests.

   A second senior administration official described Sunday's launch as "a
   clear threat to regional security."

   The new sanctions are a culmination of the Trump administration's
   increasingly aggressive stance with Tehran, following a presidential
   campaign in which then-candidate Trump said he was willing to rip up
   the nuclear deal former President Barack Obama and other world leaders
   negotiated with Iran.

   FILE - National Security Adviser Michael Flynn speaks during the daily
   news briefing at the White House, in Washington, Feb. 1, 2017.

   Earlier this week, Trump's national security adviser, retired
   Lieutenant General Michael Flynn announced the U.S. was "officially
   putting Iran on notice."

   On Friday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer continued with the
   tough talk.

   "President Trump is going to do everything he can to make sure Iran is
   stayed in check," Spicer said. "He is going to continue to be tough on
   Iran in a way that wasn't done in the past eight years."

   Spicer also reiterated that the president was not taking any options
   off the table although "he understands the impact" of resorting to
   military action.

   Earlier Friday, Trump took to Twitter to warn Iran directly.

   "Iran is playing with fire -- they don't appreciate how 'kind'
   President Obama was to them,' Trump tweeted. "Not me!"

   Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, also took to Twitter Friday to
   respond.

   "Iran unmoved by threats as we derive security from our people," he
   tweeted. "We'll never initiate war, but we can only rely on our own
   means of defense."

   All of the entities and individuals targeted by the new sanctions aimed
   at Iran are located overseas. But a senior administration official said
   all have "touch points" in the United States, whether they involve
   trying to acquire U.S.-made materials or interactions with the U.S.
   financial system.

   Officials also said the sanctions did not impact U.S. compliance with
   the Iran nuclear deal and that none of the individuals or entities had
   previously been sanctioned under the Obama administration.

   Additional concerns

   While much of the concern has focused on Iran's ballistic missile
   program, Trump administration officials have voiced significant
   concerns about Iran's use of proxy forces across the Middle East, and
   in Yemen in particular.

   Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have been engaged in a bloody civil war in
   Yemen, and earlier this week attacked a Saudi warship, killing two crew
   members.

   A U.S. senior administration official said Washington was increasingly
   concerned about freedom of navigation in the waters off the coast of
   Yemen, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, putting much of the onus on
   Iran.

   "Iran has heavy influence, continues to arm and support the Houthis,"
   the official said.

   And while the official said Iran was not responsible "for every
   tactical decision, Iran in its relationships with proxies through the
   region bears responsibility for these groups that they are closely
   entwined with."

   ''New day in U.S.-Iran relations'

   Already, the U.S. appears to be backing up the concerns with action,
   sending the destroyer USS Cole to conduct patrols off the coast of
   Yemen.

   The Trump administration's first actions against Iran are meeting with
   the approval of the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

   "A coordinated, multi-faceted effort to push back against a range of
   illicit Iranian behavior is long overdue," Republican Sen. Bob Corker
   said in a statement. "The announcement makes clear that it is a new day
   in U.S.-Iran relations."

   White House Correspondent Cindy Saine, Congressional Correspondent
   Michael Bowman and Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Steve Herman
   contributed to this report.