US deliberately pushing Iran situation to brink of war: Russia
Russia says the United States is deliberately stoking dangerous tensions around Iran and pushing the situation to the brink of war.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Friday called on Washington to weigh the possible consequences of a conflict with Iran, the RIA news agency reported.
The Russian diplomat touched on a report in the New York Times, saying it showed the situation was extremely dangerous.
The US paper reported on Friday that President Donald Trump had approved military strikes against Iran for downing an intruding American spy aircraft, but pulled back from launching them on Thursday night.
Trump initially issued a series of cataclysmic threats, insisting that the RQ-4 Global Hawk was flying over international waters when it was taken down by an Iranian missile.
However, the GPS coordinates released by Iran put the drone eight miles off the country’s coast, inside the 12 nautical miles from the shore, which is Iran's territorial waters.
US envoy, Saudi defense official discuss Iran
Following the downing of the RQ-4 Global Hawk drone, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Friday.
"Pleased to meet with United States Special Representative for Iran Mr. Brian Hook to explore the latest efforts to counter hostile Iranian acts and continuous escalation that threaten the region’s security and stability," the Saudi minister tweeted.
He said he had affirmed Riyadh's support for the US' "maximum pressure campaign" on Iran, and discussed what he called "Iranian attacks" on Saudi Arabia.
Also discussed with the United States Special Representative for Iran the dangerous role that the Iranian regime plays in Yemen, where it neglects the humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people in favor of using the country as the main launchpad for its regional terrorism.
— Khalid bin Salman خالد بن سلمان (@kbsalsaud) June 21, 2019
Khalid bin Salman was referring to attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, which the US and some of its allies blame on Iran, but Tehran has denied any involvement in.
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