Trump says military action against Iran is not 'off the table' and the U.S. looks set to increase sanctions after rogue state's nuclear-capable cruise missile test
President Donald Trump dramatically raised the possibility of military action against Iran over its missiles test on Thursday saying 'nothing is off the table' amid news that a new round of sanctions could be coming in less than a day
Trump used the phrase when asked directly if military action was possible, and after a series of angry tweets about how the Islamic republic tested a ballistic missile – something the nuclear bargain it struck with Barack Obama explicitly forbids.
The president was speaking in the Roosevelt Room of the White House as he met executives from Harley-Davidson, the storied motorcycle manufacturer, and after Tehran had called his threats 'useless' and described him as 'an inexperienced person.'
PHOTO: 'Nothing is off the table': Trump's warning as he spoke in the Roosevelt Room of the White House comes amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran
Hours later Reuters reported that that the U.S. is expected to impose sanctions on about eight different Iranian entities as early as Friday.
A White House official was unable to confirm to DailyMail.com that sanctions were on the way.
But a Reuters source said some sanctions would be seen as a response to terrorism-related activities and others would fall under separate existing U.S. executive orders.
That would sidestep the sanctions-relieving terms of Obama's agreement with Tehran.
It also emerged Thursday that Iran has tested a cruise missile called 'Sumar' that is capable of carrying nuclear weapons
The development was reported by German newspaper Die Welt reported Thursday, citing unspecified intelligence sources.
As Trump grew angrier in the wee hours of Thursday morning, he used social media to issue an explicit warning to Tehran.
'Iran has been formally PUT ON NOTICE for firing a ballistic missile,' the president wrote on Twitter. 'Should have been thankful for the terrible deal the U.S. made with them!'
PHOTO: A medium-range ballistic missile was tested on Sunday in Iran and exploded after 630 miles, a US official said on Monday. The test was carried out from a site near Semnan, 140 miles east of Tehran. Pictured above is a file photo from a March 2015 ballistic missile test in Iran
'Iran was on its last legs and ready to collapse until the U.S. came along and gave it a life-line in the form of the Iran Deal: $150 billion,' he added in a second tweet.
Trump has been openly hostile to the terms of the Obama-Tehran nuclear deal, saying during his presidential campaign that it was 'stupid,' 'a disgrace,'' and 'the worst deal ever negotiated.'
His tweets likely stand as the first time a head of state has used social media to threaten a foreign country. They were met with contempt by the Iranian regime.
A top adviser to the Iranian supreme leader said the country will not yield to 'useless' US threats from 'an inexperienced person' over its ballistic missile program.
Ali Akbar Velayati said, who is a senior counsel to Iran's most powerful man Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hit back.
'This is not the first time that an inexperienced person has threatened Iran,' he said. 'The American government will understand that threatening Iran is useless.'
The report of a cruise missile test in the German newspaper said the Sumar cruise missile was built in Iran and traveled around 375 miles in its first known successful test
The missile is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons and may have a range of 1,200 to 1,800 miles, the paper said, citing intelligence sources.
Cruise missiles are harder to counter than ballistic missiles since they fly at lower altitudes and can evade enemy radar, confounding missile defense missiles and hitting targets deep inside an opponent's territory.
But the biggest advantage from Iran's point of view, a security expert told Die Welt, was that cruise missiles are not mentioned in any United Nations resolutions that ban work on ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
There has been no explicit response from Iran or from Washington on the cruise missile disclosure.
However, Trump's National Security Advisor had issued his own stern warning to Tehran's mullahs on Wednesday.
Gen. Michael Flynn told reporters during a White House press briefing that the administration 'condemns such actions by Iran that undermine security, prosperity and stability throughout and beyond the Middle East that puts American lives at risk.' 'As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice,' he said.
It wasn't clear what that notice means, or what consequences Iran can expect if it continues to test missiles that are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Senior administration officials wouldn't rule out military action or sanctions during a separate briefing with reporters that came later.
Officials said 'a large number of options' are being considered and would not reveal what those are other than to say that they include financial and economic actions.
'We are considering a whole range of options. We are in a deliberative process,' one said.
Flynn said that 'Iran is now feeling emboldened,' and criticized the Obama administration for failing 'to respond adequately to Tehran's malign actions, including weapons transfers, support for terrorism and other violations of international norms.'
Administration officials, speaking on background to reporters, said Wednesday afternoon that the Republican president was taking a 'different perspective' from his predecessor's. 'Iranian behavior needs to be rethought by Tehran,' one said.
An official added that 'there should be no doubt that the United States is committed to holding Iran accountable for adhering to missile restrictions and accountable for behavior in the region that we consider to be destabilizing.'
PHOTO: Trump's action may be the first time a head of state has used social media to threaten action against a foreign country
Iran, Republicans say, has built up its nuclear capabilities despite signing on to a multilateral deal designed to produce the opposite outcome.
A defense official said this week that the Iranian missile test ended with a 'failed' re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.
The suggestion that the missile was designed to return to earth supports the contention that it was a test of an attack vehicle, not a rocket meant to launch satellites into space.
The official had no other details, including the type of missile, but spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Flynn said pointedly that Iran's action is 'in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.'
That international consensus demands that Iran not 'undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.'
The White House said Monday that it was studying information about the ballistic missile test.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer said he did not know the 'exact nature' of the test and expected to have more information later.
The White House sent several officials to brief reporters a hours later. 'We can confirm that Iran conducted a launch of a medium-range missile, the Shahab, and that launch was on 29 January. The launch we view as being highly provocative,' an official said. 'This affects us all and is a destabilizing factor in the region.'
Iran is the subject of a United Nations Security Council resolution prohibiting tests of ballistic missiles designed to deliver a nuclear warhead.
As part of the 2015 nuclear deal, the U.N. ban was prolonged by eight years, although Iran has flaunted the restriction.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. was looking into whether the ballistic missile test violates the U.S. Security Council resolution.
'When actions are taken that violate or are inconsistent with the resolution, we will act to hold Iran accountable and urge other countries to do so as well,' Toner said.
Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned Iran for the missile test.
'No longer will Iran be given a pass for its repeated ballistic missile violations, continued support of terrorism, human rights abuses and other hostile activities that threaten international peace and security,' Corker, a Republican from Tennessee, said in a written statement.
Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen, meanwhile, claimed a successful missile strike against a warship in the Red Sea belonging to the Saudi-led coalition that is fighting alongside Yemen's internationally recognized government.
Video footage shown on the rebels' al-Masirah television on Monday shows a warship being hit and a fire on board starting as a man not shown in the video shouts the rebels' trademark chant of 'Allahu akbar [God is greatest], death to America, death to Israel, a curse on the Jews and victory for Islam.' The media arm of the Shiite rebels, also known as the Houthis, said the vessel was believed to belong to the Saudi Arabian navy.
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