U.S. announces new Iran-related sanctions

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on 13 people and 12 companies as a response to a ballistic missile test by Iran earlier this week.

On Wednesday, the White House formally put Iran "on notice." Similar sanctions were imposed on Iran by the Obama administration after earlier ballistic missile tests.

Reuters previously reported that these sanctions are written so as not to violate the nuclear agreement with the country. The White House declined comment to Reuters.

Tehran claims its testdoes not violate that agreement in the first place, that the United States is outside its bounds here and should "be careful," and that Iran "will continue to test its capabilities in ballistic missiles and... not ask any country for permission in defending itself."

On Thursday, a bipartisan group of senators urged President Donald Trump to impose additional sanctions.

"Iranian leaders must feel sufficient pressure to cease deeply destabilizing activities, from sponsoring terrorist groups to continued testing of ballistic missiles," CNN reported the senators write in a letter. "Full enforcement of existing sanctions and the imposition of additional sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile program are necessary."

"Iran is playing with fire - they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!," Trump tweeted Friday, echoing similar criticism issued Thursday.

Learn more about the Iran sanctions:

The Iranian foreign minister quickly responded Friday that Iran was "unmoved by threats" but noted that country will never use its weapons "against anyone, except in self-defense."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., has joined in on the calls for greater sanctions, and the Senate Foreign Relations chairman, Bob Corker, has likewise been critical of the test. All three men were opponents and repeated critics of the nuclear agreement signed by the Obama administration, but so far no formal proposal has been made from U.S. leadership to withdraw from the deal.

Advertisement