Russia warns of full-scale armed conflict in Mideast

MOSCOW

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.

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

The U.S. has since launched a diplomatic and economic campaign, to force Iran to renegotiate the deal.

If the U.S. manages to break the Iran nuclear deal, it will strike a severe blow at the regime of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, he added.

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