WarSclerotic

In apparent defiance of the new sanctions imposed by the United States, Iran held a military exercise Saturday to test home-made missile systems, radars, command and control systems and cyberwarfare systems. The aim of the exercise, held in Semnan province, was to “showcase the power of Iran’s revolution and to dismiss the sanctions,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards website said.

Iran’s belligerent move followed Washington’s decision Friday to imposed new sanctions on the Islamic republic, following a ballistic missile test.

Administration officials described the sanctions on 25 individuals and entities as “initial steps,” saying Washington would no longer turn a “blind eye” to Iran’s hostile actions.

Those affected under the sanctions cannot access the U.S. financial system or deal with U.S. companies and are subject to secondary sanctions, meaning foreign companies and individuals are prohibited from dealing with them or risk being blacklisted by the United States.

The sanctions are seen as the opening salvo by President Donald Trump, who has vowed a more aggressive policy against Iran.

In a tweet Friday morning, Trump wrote, “Iran is playing with fire – they don’t appreciate how ‘kind’ President Obama was to them. Not me.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday and with Trump on Feb. 15, said Sunday that one of the issues he plans to discuss with Trump is “the Iranian threat, and the need to stand together against Iran’s defiance of world order.”

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn said Friday that “the Trump Administration will no longer tolerate Iran’s provocations that threaten our interests. The days of turning a blind eye to Iran’s hostile and belligerent actions toward the United States and the world community are over.”

Suggesting that more concrete action could follow if Iran does not curb its ballistic missile program and continues support in regional proxy conflicts, a senior administration official said the latest sanctions were the initial steps in response to Iran’s “provocative behavior.”

The administration was “undertaking a larger strategic review” of how it responds to Iran, he said.

Iran denounced the sanctions as illegal and said it would impose legal restrictions on American individuals and entities helping “regional terrorist groups.”

The White House said that while the sanctions were a reaction to recent events, they had been under consideration before. It added that a landmark 2015 deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program was not in the best interest of the United States.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the missile test the Islamic republic held on Jan. 29 did not violate the nuclear agreement.

“It’s not a direct violation … I think there is no question that it violates the spirit of that,” Spicer said in an interview with MSNBC. He said the nuclear agreement was a “sweetheart deal” for Iran.

Citing a foreign ministry statement, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said the missile program is “the undeniable and inalienable right of our nation under international law and the UN charter. Any foreign interference in this regard is a violation of international law.”

According to Fox News, during Saturday’s exercise, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ airspace division, warned that “if the enemy makes a mistake, our roaring missiles will come down on them. … Knowing the capabilities of our Armed Forces, I assure you that foreign threats cannot do us any harm,” he said.

Iranian Defense Minister Gen. Hossein Dehghan was quoted by the semiofficial Tasnim news agency as saying, “The recent missile test is in line with our plans and we will not let any foreigner meddle with our defense issues.”

Last week, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called the test “unacceptable.”

Also on Friday, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon met with Haley. This was the envoys’ first meeting.

Danon’s office said he “thanked Ambassador Haley for her statements of support of Israel in the Senate, and raised the issue of Resolution 2334 against the Israeli settlement enterprise, and how the damage it had caused may be curtailed.”

Danon noted he hoped “to lead together a new era and significant changes that would finally end the U.N.’s obsession with Israel.”