Senate Republicans are pledging to introduce new sanctions against Iran if the Obama administration doesn't take a tougher stance against the country.

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She added that the sanctions legislation would focus on Iran's ballistic missile program and would "hold Iran accountable for its support for terrorism."

The comments come days after the Obama administration announced new sanctions against nearly a dozen individuals and companies tied to the missile program. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the sanctions were "illegal."

However, Ayotte, who faces a tough reelection race this year, dismissed the administration's move as "tepid," "weak" and "just pathetic."

Democrats and Republicans had urged the president to hold Iran accountable for months for a pair of ballistic missile tests late last year, including by introducing new sanctions. A dozen Senate Republicans have also signed onto a separate proposal from Ayotte to block Obama from lifting sanctions against Iran because of the missile tests.

The forthcoming legislation is the latest scuffle over Iran since Congress failed to block the nuclear agreement last year.

"Every member of the Senate is going to have the opportunity to tell their constituents exactly what they think about the test firing of these missiles by the Iranians," he added.

Any effort to get a vote on Iran legislation in the Senate could face an uphill battle.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) argued that the Senate should vote regardless of whether Democrats are on board.

Ayotte, for her part, suggested that she was confident that she would be able to get the support of enough Democrats to win passage of the legislation, saying that "sixty-seven votes should not be a problem when we look at what [Iran's] behavior is."