Brian Hook, the US administration’s special envoy on Iran said that Iran’s announcement that it plans to withdraw from parts of the 2015 nuclear deal was “an attempt to hold the world hostage,” and emphasized that the US would not cave in the face of blackmail attempts related to the nuclear deal.
“It’s threat to renew the nuclear work is something that we are going to be examining very closely,” he said.
“When you look at where we are now a year on, we are still committed to denying the regime all paths to a nuclear weapon."
“We will continue to apply maximum pressure on the regime until its leaders change their behavior. They’ve got to start behaving more like a normal nation, less like a revolutionary cause.
“They need to respect the rights of the Iranian people, and we are committed to standing with the Iranian people, and restoring deterrence against Iran’s threats to peace and security.”
To the question of whether a military option against Iran was on the table in the light of the fact that the US has sent reinforcements to the Gulf, he emphasized, "Any attack on American interests or on our allies will be met with force. If the Iranian regime tries, the American administration will respond."
Victoria Coates, who is in charge of the Middle East in the White House and also participated in the discussion, noted that Trump is keeping "all options open" in everything related to dealing with the Iranian regime.