Russia says US military reinforcements in Mideast risk 'escalation'

The United States' reinforcement of its military presence in the Middle East risks an "escalation" of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

Speaking about the US deployment of warships to the region during a meeting in Tehran, Lavrov said "the more a state takes this kind of proactive measures, the greater the risk and the danger of an escalation of the conflict".

He also said the United States was "already among the countries intervening the most" since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, and subsequent reprisals by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip.

But Lavrov acknowledged that efforts by Washington as well as the European Union were necessary in order to secure a diplomatic resolution of the latest fighting.

"We have to act on the basis of the joint potential of countries in the region, and of the European Union and, probably, the United States, and it is difficult to do without them," he said.

Lavrov was in Tehran for talks with regional counterparts over the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which launched a lightning offensive against Armenian separatists in the Nagorno-Karabakh region last month.

He said participants had also discussed the Israel-Palestinian conflict, on which they had "very similar positions".

"Russia does not accept any manifestation of terrorism, any manifestation of violence in violation of international humanitarian law, including the indiscriminate use of force," he said.