Russia warns of full-scale armed conflict in Mideast

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned of a full-scale armed conflict in the Middle East on Friday.

Speaking at a BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Lavrov said the U.S. steps against Iran had led to a harsh escalation in the Persian Gulf region.

“The situation has reached a dangerous point fraught with the risk of a large-scale military clash. This cannot be allowed to happen,” he said.

The US has since launched a diplomatic and economic campaign, to force Iran to renegotiate the deal. If the US manages to break the Iran nuclear deal, it will strike a severe blow at the regime of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, he added.

Tensions have been running high between the US and Iran since Washington unilaterally withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal last year. The agreement was the outcome of protracted negotiations between Tehran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany and the EU.

Lavrov called on Iran to exercise restrain and the UK, France and Germany to meet their obligations under the Iran nuclear deal.