President Trump may take additional actions against Iran if its leaders continue to flout an international agreement restricting its nuclear program, White House press secretary Sean Spicer warned Tuesday.
“I think Iran is kidding itself if they don’t realize that there is a new president in town,” Spicer said in his daily briefing.
The White House spokesman’s comments came just hours after Iran’s top leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said he did not fear Trump and suggested the president had helped Iran make its case against America.
Khamenei encouraged Iranians to march against the U.S. in a series of rallies planned for Friday, when the Islamic republic will celebrate the anniversary of its 1979 revolution.
“This president’s not going to sit by and let Iran flout its violations or its apparent violations to the joint agreement,” Spicer said. “I think the ayatollah is going to realize that there is a new president in office.”
Trump had frequently criticized his predecessor for taking what he described as a weak approach to Iran, particularly in striking the nuclear agreement in 2015.
Last week, the president authorized a new round of sanctions against 25 Iranian people and companies in response to Tehran’s attempts to test a ballistic missile in violation of a United Nations resolution against such activity.
“He will continue to take action as he sees fit,” Spicer said of Trump’s plans for answering Iran’s provocations. “The president also made clear time and time again that he’s not going to project what those actions will be, and he’s not going to take anything off the table.”
Trump said last week that he would not take military action off the table when weighing his options against Iran.
