The Trump administration today imposed sanctions on 25 individuals and entities, ratcheting up pressure on Iran. A senior administration official told reporters that these are just initial steps in response to Iranian provocative behavior, suggesting more could follow if Tehran does not curb its ballistic missile program and continues support in regional proxy conflicts. The administration was "undertaking a larger strategic review" of how it responds to Iran. '<br/>'<br/>The White House said that while the sanctions, the first actions against Iran by the US government since President Donald Trump took office, were a reaction to recent events, they had been under consideration before. <br/>'<br/>Though the measures are similar to actions taken by the Obama administration targeting Iran's ballistic missile network and the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the White House said they were just opening shots in plans to go after Iran and that a landmark 2015 deal to curb Iran's nuclear program was not in the best interest of the United States.<br/>'<br/>Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Friday ahead of the announcement, saying Iran was unmoved by threats as they derive security from their people. Iran will never initiate war, but they can only rely on their own means of defense, the tweet said. <br/>'<br/>Meanwhile, the US moved a Navy destroyer, the USS Cole, close to the Bab al-Mandab Strait off the coast of Yemen to protect waterways from Houthi militia aligned with Iran.<br/>'<br/>German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Friday expressed understanding over the sanctions, saying Iran's missile test last Sunday was a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions.<br/>''