Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Flynn condemned Iran on Wednesday, in a drastic escalation of rhetoric.
“As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice,” Flynn told reporters at the top of a daily White House press briefing, prying up diplomatic tracks to Tehran laid by the Obama administration.
Flynn claimed that an Iranian missile test earlier this week breached a 2015 UN Security Council resolution and represented “destabilizing behavior.” He also referenced recent attacks in Yemen by Houthi rebels, alleged to be supported by Tehran, as a “threat” to US allies in the region.
Flynn went on to criticize the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and all five permanent UN Security Council members, one of the signature foreign policy accomplishments of the Obama administration. Flynn characterized the accord as “weak and ineffective,” echoing prior remarks made by President Trump.
“Instead of being thankful to the United States for these agreements, Iran is now feeling emboldened,” Flynn said. .
The aggressive tone from the podium shows that just 13 days in, the Trump administration is already sending signals to Tehran that further rapprochement may not be a high priority.
On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif refused to confirm any missile tests, but said that “the missile issue is not part of the nuclear deal.” He also claimed that ballistic missile tests are not outlawed under UN Security Resolution 2231 since such missiles are not equipped to carry nuclear warheads.
The missiles, Zarif alleged, are “not designed for the capability of carrying a nuclear warhead.” He added that the “ballistic missile was designed to carry a normal warhead in the field of legitimate defense.”
According to TIME, Zarif went on to say he hopes the missile test is not used “an excuse for some political games by the new administration.”
Recently confirmed US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley called Iran’s action “absolutely unacceptable” on Monday.
During a call over the weekend between Trump and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, the two men reportedly agreed to “rigorously” enforce the Iranian nuclear deal. The White House, however, has not yet offered any further details on those enforcement plans.
National Security Adviser Flynn has been under fire since assuming a role in the Trump White House. Flynn was previously fired from the Defense Intelligence Agency. The New York Times reported that former colleagues of Flynn created a term “Flynn facts” to refer to the former general’s penchant for conspiracy theories. He even once promoted a debunked article on Twitter alleging that former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was about to be arrested by the NYPD for child sex crimes.
