White House: New Iran Sanctions Related to Missile Program Need More Time

The U.S. government states that it expects Iran to complete its commitments related to the nuclear agreement in the coming weeks, while emphasizing that more time is needed to prepare new sanctions against Tehran concerning its missile program. Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States, told reporters on January 1 that the government needs more diplomatic and technical actions to finalize these sanctions before imposing new ones related to Iran's missile program. He also stressed that this matter is not related to pressures from Iran. Mr. Rhodes stated, "We need to do other work before announcing new sanctions, but these are not issues we will consult or discuss with the Iranian government." Last summer, Iran tested a new missile named 'Emad,' which a team of UN observers claimed violated Security Council resolutions. U.S. officials have criticized this missile test in recent weeks, asserting that this action will not go unanswered. Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported on the preparation of new sanctions in this regard. However, on January 1, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani requested in a letter to his defense minister for an "increase in speed and new" production of "various missiles." On the same day, the Wall Street Journal published another report stating that the White House has delayed the announcement and implementation of new sanctions. At the same time, U.S. officials stated that this issue is not related to Iran's "threats" and the nuclear agreement between Tehran and six world powers. Nevertheless, some American lawmakers criticized the delay in imposing new sanctions. The Deputy National Security Advisor emphasized on January 1 that Iran's full implementation of commitments related to the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" has not been completed and that "there is still much work to be done." He stated that Iranian officials are expected to complete the remaining tasks in the coming weeks.