The White House on Friday didn’t rule out the option of using military action against Iran in response to its decision to test ballistic missiles and back groups that are attacking U.S. allies.
“I would never rule anything off the table,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said when asked about the possibility of military force against Iran. But he declined to talk in more detail.
“One of the things that the president has said throughout the campaign… is that he doesn’t like to telegraph his options,” Spicer said. “So I’m not going to go into the full extent of it.”
Later in the briefing, he repeated that answer but seemed to downplay the idea that military action is coming, by saying President Trump understands the impact such a decision would have.
The Trump administration issued a fresh set of sanctions against 25 individuals and companies on Friday, less than a week after Iranians fired a ballistic missile in violation of United Nations restrictions and an Iranian-backed militia attacked a Saudi Arabian ship off the coast of Yemen. Spicer described the set of sanctions as “a very, very strong stand against the actions that Iran has been taking.”
“The days of turning a blind eye to Iran’s hostile and belligerent actions toward the United States and the world community are over,” national security adviser Michael Flynn said in a statement Friday.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and engages in and supports violent activities that destabilize the Middle East,” Flynn said. “This behavior seems continuous despite the very favorable deal given to Iran by the Obama Administration. These sanctions target these behaviors.”
Trump has frequently criticized the nuclear agreement spearheaded by former President Barack Obama’s State Department, arguing it did too little to stop Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Spicer reiterated that criticism Friday when he said the nuclear deal was “not in the best interest of this country.” Iran’s missile test did not violate the terms of the nuclear agreement, senior administration officials said Friday morning.
