Persian Gulf mission crude attempt by US to pressure Iran, says Russia
Russia says a proposed US-led mission to purportedly help secure the Strait of Hormuz is a pretext for Washington to further pressure Tehran and destabilize the Persian Gulf region.
According to Press TV, speaking at a news briefing in Moscow on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, "Events there [Persian Gulf region] are really moving to a dangerous point and there are risks of a large-scale military clash.”
She also noted that Russia believes the US is merely looking for a “pretext to whip up the situation, continue its aggressive rhetoric towards Iran, and to shift to a hotter more active phase of the conflict.”
A US move to set up an international naval patrol force in the Strait of Hormuz looks like “a crude attempt to pressure” the Islamic Republic, Zakharova said.
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