It should come as a shock to no one that Iran’s leadership, despite because of Barack Obama’s highly touted but foolish and deceitful nuclear deal, has continued in its nefarious ways. On Wednesday, the Trump administration levied new sanctions on Iran after learning that the mullahs have continued to push forward on developing a ballistic missile program and for their continued support of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad in the way of providing explosives.

A senior Trump administration official stated, “President Trump is determined to hold Tehran accountable for its dangerous and aggressive behavior that is destabilizing the Middle East, while making it clear to the Iranian people that he stands with them — not with the regime that has oppressed them for so long.”

Trump has yet to pull the U.S. out of the Obama-Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, that lifted severely restrictive sanctions from the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. But Trump’s State Department continues to conduct its review of the deal.

While Trump heads off on his first foreign trip, he is looking to set a distinctly different tone from that of his predecessor. His first stop will be in Saudi Arabia, where he will look to firm up America’s commitment to standing by our allies in the Middle East in resisting Iran’s aggression. It’s no coincidence that the Iran announcement was followed two days later by a trip to Riyadh. Those new sanctions give more weight to Trump’s words, and spending time with Iran’s greatest Islamic regional opponent sends a strong message to Tehran.