U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has ramped up pressure on Iran ahead of a trip to Vienna next week, where she will meet with international atomic watchdog officials concerning Tehran's nuclear activities.
Haley on Tuesday rejected threats from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who warned the country could walk away from its nuclear agreement with world powers "within hours" if the United States continued to impose new sanctions.
Rouhani said recently enacted sanctions targeting Iran's ballistic missile program violated its pact with the United States and five other world powers, which aimed to limit Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions related to the program.
Haley said the sanctions were separate from the deal and were instead imposed "to hold Iran responsible for its missile launches, support for terrorism, disregard for human rights, and violations of UN Security Council resolutions."
"Iran cannot be allowed to use the nuclear deal to hold the world hostage," Haley said in a statement directed at Rouhani. "The nuclear deal must not become 'too big to fail.'"
Earlier this month, the United States, backed by Britain, France, and Germany, demanded the UN Security Council take action against Iran after the Islamic Republic launched a rocket carrying a satellite into space in late July.
The group, spearheaded by Haley, warned in a letter to the council that the Iranian missile was "inherently capable of delivering a nuclear warhead" and therefore violated an international resolution.
Under UN Security Council resolution 2231, Iran is "called upon" to refrain from conducting "any activity" related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, "including launches using such ballistic missile technology."
The Trump administration, which previously accused Rouhani's government of failing to comply with the "spirit" of the nuclear deal, swiftly imposed sanctions on six Iranian companies for their role in the country's ballistic missile program in response to the rocket launch.
Haley will meet next week with members of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is tasked with monitoring Iran's compliance with the deal, as part of a fact-finding mission to investigate the extent of Tehran's nuclear activities.
The trip is part of a policy review ordered by President Donald Trump in April to evaluate Iran's adherence to the 2015 agreement. The administration said the review will be completed before the deal is up for recertification in October.
If Trump rejects certification, his administration can reapply sanctions that were suspended under the pact.
Similar to Trump, Haley has repeatedly criticized the deal for empowering Iran and Russia while handicapping U.S. leverage over the Rouhani regime.