Russia warns US troop deployment could spark war with Iran

Russia is warning the US against bolstering its troop presence in the Middle East, accusing Washington of trying to spark a war against Iran.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov looks on at the start of two days of closed-door nuclear talks in Geneva, October, 2013. (AP/Fabrice Coffrini)

“For quite a while, we have been witnessing the United States’ continuous attempts to increase political, psychological, economic and military pressure on Iran. I think that such actions are rather provocative and cannot be considered as anything other than a deliberate policy to instigate a war,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov tells reporters from Russian news agencies.

Rybakov also condemns the US for what he calls the use of “the language of direct threats,” against Iran.

On Monday, the Pentagon authorized an additional 1,000 troops to the region, after Iran threatened to ramp up uranium enrichment.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov urges all sides “to show restraint.”

“We would prefer not to see any steps that could introduce additional tensions in the already unstable region,” he tells journalists.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi warns all sides “not to take any actions to provoke the escalation of tension in the region, and not to open a Pandora’s box.”

— with AFP