Tehran's Threatening Response to Potential Increase in US Sanctions

The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry reacted to the possibility of new individuals and companies being added to the United States sanctions list against the Islamic Republic due to their involvement in the "development of Iran's ballistic missile program," threatening that Tehran would respond to "any interventionist action" by the US by "strengthening its defensive capabilities." According to the state news agency IRNA, Hossein Jaberi Ansari emphasized on Thursday, January 10, that such actions are "unilateral, arbitrary, and illegal, and the Islamic Republic of Iran has warned the US government." He stated that Iran's missile program is unrelated to the Vienna nuclear agreement and that "no action will be able to" deprive the Islamic Republic of its "defensive capabilities." Mr. Jaberi Ansari warned that the Islamic Republic would respond to "any interventionist action by the US against its defense programs by strengthening its defensive capabilities." The American newspaper Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, January 9, that the US is preparing new sanctions against individuals and companies in Iran, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates due to their "role" in the "development of Iran's ballistic missile program." If this report from the American newspaper is confirmed, it would be the first time since the nuclear agreement on July 14 that Washington is moving towards new sanctions against Iran. Meanwhile, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasized in an official letter to the Iranian President for the confirmation of the Vienna nuclear agreement on October 21 that "throughout the eight-year period," the imposition of any sanctions "at any level and for any reason," including "terrorism and human rights," by the countries negotiating with Iran would be considered a violation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, and the government is obliged to stop the implementation of this agreement. The Wall Street Journal's report came after a team of UN observers on Iran sanctions announced that the "Emad" missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, which constitutes a violation under paragraph nine of Security Council resolution 1929. Meanwhile, a large group of Republican senators and even some Democratic senators in the US have called for the maintenance of direct US sanctions against Tehran. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, previously emphasized that for Tehran, the resolutions prior to Security Council resolution 2231 are "invalid." In resolution 2231, issued after the nuclear agreement, Iran is asked not to engage in activities related to ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The Islamic Republic has stated that the provisions of this resolution regarding "defensive capabilities" and especially Iran's missiles are "rejected" and that it has "not accepted and will not accept" them. On October 11, the same day that the Iranian parliament approved the general plan for the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, the Iranian Ministry of Defense announced the test of a new ballistic missile named "Emad." According to Iranian state media, the "Emad" missile, with a range of 1,700 kilometers, is Iran's first long-range missile "with guidance and control capabilities until the moment of impact on the target, which can accurately strike intended targets and completely destroy them." American officials have stated that the "Emad" missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, but Iran has denied this claim.