President Donald Trump has accused Iran of “playing with fire” as part of a diplomatic spat over Iran’s latest ballistic missile test.’INDEPENDENT’, reported on February 3, the following is a part of this report:
Referring to the previous administration of Barack Obama, Mr Trump added that the Iranian government didn’t appreciate how “kind” that the US had been to them – a potential reference to the nuclear deal struck with the US and other world powers in 2015 where Iran’s nuclear capability was reduced in return for a loosening of sanctions. Mr Trump said that he would not follow a similar path.
Tweet:
Iran is playing with fire – they don’t appreciate how “kind” President Obama was to them. Not me!
Shortly after My Trump’s tweet Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said via the same platform that his country is unmoved by US threats following its missile test launch and Tehran will never initiate war.
The episode follows a tweet from President Trump a day previously that he had put Iran “on notice” over a the missile test that could be in contravention of a UN resolution. He added that Tehran in that should have been “thankful” for the nuclear deal as the country was on “its last legs”.
The warnings appear as an early manifestation of Mr Trump’s promise of a tougher American approach to Iran, but the Thursday tweet received an angry response in Tehran – which may have prompted the latest outburst.
The missile test occurred at a well-known site outside Semnan, about 140 miles east of Tehran. The Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile flew 600 miles before exploding, in a failed test of a reentry vehicle, US officials said.
The warning from the US could foreshadow more aggressive economic and diplomatic measures against Iran.
Three senior US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters a range of options, including economic sanctions, were being considered and that a broad review was being conducted of the US posture toward Iran.
“We are in the process of evaluating the strategic options and the framework for how we want to approach these issues,” the official said. “We do not want to be premature or rash or take any action that would foreclose options or unnecessarily contribute to a negative response.
“Our sincere hope is that the Iranians will heed this notice today and will change their behavior.”
Iran has test-fired several ballistic missiles since the nuclear deal in 2015, but the latest test was the first since Mr Trump became President.