Moscow On Reports On Downed Iranian Drone: Conflict Outbreak Possible In Persian Gulf

Moscow believes that any incidents are possible in the Persian Gulf region, given the high concentration of different forces there, and stresses the need to prevent a conflict outbreak, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday, commenting on reports about an Iranian drone being downed by the United States

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2019) Moscow believes that any incidents are possible in the Persian Gulf region, given the high concentration of different forces there, and stresses the need to prevent a conflict outbreak, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday, commenting on reports about an Iranian drone being downed by the United States.

The Pentagon said in a statement on Thursday that an Iranian drone had come within a "threatening range" of a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz before being destroyed by US forces in a defensive action. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Iran had no information about this incident.

"We have paid attention to this report. The concentration of different countries' military forces and weapons in the Persian Gulf region is so high that any incidents are possible. The most important thing is to prevent escalation," Ryabkov told reporters.

"We are convinced once again that the situation is not just explosive, but fraught with conflict outbreak. We regret that despite all our calls and all the calls of many other members of the global community, the United States continues persistently its policy of escalating tensions and putting Tehran under maximum pressure," Ryabkov added.