The US imposed fresh sanctions on Iran as President Donald Trump seeks to punish Tehran for its ballistic missile programme after warning that the Islamic Republic that it is \u201cplaying with fire.\u201d In a statement Friday morning, the Treasury Department published a list of 13 individuals and 12 entities facing new restrictions for supporting the missile programme, having links to terrorism or providing support for Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The entities include companies based in Tehran, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and China. \u201cThis action reflects the United States\u2019 commitment to enforcing sanctions on Iran with respect to its ballistic missile programme and destabilising activities in the region and is fully consistent with the United States\u2019 commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,\u201d the statement said in a reference to the nuclear accord Iran reached with the US and five other world powers. Trump declared in a tweet early on Friday. The Trump administration has taken a hard line on Iran, banning its citizens from entering the US and accusing the nation of interfering in the affairs of US allies in the Middle East. While such an approach could satisfy hawks in Washington who were never comfortable with President Barack Obama\u2019s tentative rapprochement with Iran, it could also unsettle domestic Iranian politics as President Hassan Rouhani seeks re-election in May. The move was praised by Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, who said it \u201cmakes clear that it is a new day in US-Iran relations and that we will no longer tolerate Iran\u2019s destabilising behaviour.\u201d Ahead of the announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, \u201cIran unmoved by threats as we derive security from our people.\u201d He added later: \u201cWe will never use our weapons against anyone, except in self-defense.\u201d Tensions between the two sides were already escalating before the missile tests. While they didn\u2019t contravene the nuclear accord signed in 2015, the missile tests are seen by some nations as going against a UN Security Council resolution that enshrines the agreement. The new sanctions aren\u2019t directed at Iran\u2019s nuclear programme and wouldn\u2019t directly affect the agreement forged under Obama\u2019s administration that eased restrictions in exchange for Iran\u2019s promise not to develop nuclear weapons, two people familiar with US strategy said Thursday. For its part, Iran has urged the US not to overreact to the tests. Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan insisted they were part of Iran\u2019s ongoing defence programme and were not illegal, according to the Tasnim news agency.<\/p>\n