In Rocky Hearing, Rex Tillerson Tries to Separate From Trump

The former chief executive of Exxon Mobil found himself on the defensive over his reluctance to declare that some dictators were violators of human rights. On climate change, Mr. Tillerson said he did not view it as the imminent national security threat that some others did. On Iran he tried to strike a middle ground between Republicans who said the deal should be scrapped – including Vice President-elect Mike Pence – and those who simply call for tougher enforcement of its provisions.

US sanctions Iran after missile test

The US Treasury Department announced the measures against 13 people and a dozen companies on Friday. President Donald Trump tweeted earlier: "Iran is playing with fire – they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!" But Iran has said it will not yield to "useless" American threats from "an inexperienced person".

Trump administration 'officially putting Iran on notice', says Michael Flynn

The Trump administration has said it was “officially putting Iran on notice” in reaction to a Iranian missile test and an attack on a Saudi warship by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, but gave no details about how Washington intended to respond. The threat was made on Wednesday by the national security adviser, Michael Flynn, in his first public statement since taking office.

Iran Warns U.S. Not to Escalate Missile Dispute

The Iranian foreign minister said the American accusations of a missile test should not be used “as a pretext to create new tensions.” The warning, made by Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, came a day after American and Israeli officials accused Iran of having conducted a missile test that they said had violated a United Nations Security Council resolution. Iran contends that it has not violated the resolution and that its missiles are not designed to carry nuclear warheads.