White House: Iran's Ayatollahs Will Realize a New President Has Arrived

On Tuesday, February 7, the White House spokesperson reacted to the statements of the leader of the Islamic Republic, saying, "Iran is fooling itself if it thinks a new president has not taken office." Sean Spicer stated in a press conference with reporters, "The Ayatollahs will realize that a new president has come. This president will not sit idly by while Iran creates rifts in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with its violations, but will take appropriate actions." He added, "Of course, the president has repeatedly said that he will not announce these actions in advance and will not rule out any options. I think Iran is fooling itself if it thinks that a new president has not come." The spokesperson's remarks were a reaction to comments made by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran, who said on Tuesday that "Iranians are not afraid of threats." He had referred to Donald Trump, adding, "We thank this newcomer; he has made our job easier by showing the true face of America, proving the 38-year-old claims of the Islamic Republic of Iran about the political, economic, moral, and social corruption of the ruling system in America." The new president of the United States has taken a hardline stance towards Iran, especially following the Islamic Republic's missile test. He stated that Iran should "not play with fire" and that Iran "does not realize how kind President Obama was to them; but I am not like that." Concurrently with these statements, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on 25 individuals and entities related to Iran's missile testing. Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, also warned Iran not to doubt the seriousness of the new president. He, like the White House spokesperson, said that Iran should take a look at the calendar and realize that a new president has taken office in the White House. The United States, during Barack Obama's presidency, signed an agreement with Iran and five other countries in July of last year to resolve its nuclear program, under which Tehran suspended many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Donald Trump has opposed this agreement since his election campaign, stating that it was "the worst deal ever." According to officials in the new U.S. administration, he is expected to review this agreement. Meanwhile, Iran has rejected any revision of the JCPOA, calling it an international agreement.