By Jim Stinson:
Iranian leaders were issued a rare public warning by the new U.S. administration during the White House press briefing Wednesday.
President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, appeared at the briefing to put Iran “on notice.”
Flynn and the Trump administration were reacting to a recent Iranian missile test, as well as an attack on a Saudi Arabian frigate by rebels who receive assistance from the Iranian government.
“Recent Iranian actions, including a provocative ballistic missile launch and an attack against a Saudi naval vessel conducted by Iran-supported Houthi militants, underscore what should have been clear to the international community all along about Iran’s destabilizing behavior across the Middle East,” Flynn said.
Flynn said the recent ballistic missile launch was in defiance of the United Nations’ Security Council Resolution 2231, which calls upon Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.”
Iran denied it was testing missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons, while also claiming compliance with the resolution.
Flynn said the actions are part of a series of incidents designed to destabilize the Arabian Peninsula.
Iran has long supported Houthi militia forces in Yemen. The Shiite rebels have struck Emirati and Saudi vessels and threatened U.S. and allied vessels traveling the Red Sea, Flynn said.
Fox News reported after the Monday attack that the Iranian-backed suicide attack on the Saudi frigate off the coast of Yemen may have been meant for an American warship, in the opinion of two defense officials.
Two Saudi sailors were killed and three were wounded, Fox News reported.
At first, the ship was thought to have been struck by a missile, according to Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin. Instead, according to Fox News, it was a sole bomber. A video of the attack had a narrator shouting, “Death to America. Death to Israel. Death to Jews.”
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