Russia Warns Deployment of 1,500 US Troops Will Increase Risks in Middle East

US President Donald Trump’s decision to send 1,500 troops to the Middle East may increase risks in the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Monday.

News ID: 445131

Date: 29 May 2019 - 07:02

RNA - "Regarding President Trump’s decision to send 1,500 servicemen in addition to those now deployed to the Middle East and North Africa, as you know, risks always grow during a military buildup," Lavrov stated.

Lavrov expects that Washington will hear sober voices that waging a war against Tehran is nonsense.

"At least we have grounds to hope for that. Today not everyone in the US leadership is obsessed with an aggressive drive," Lavrov stressed.

Tensions mounted between Tehran and Washington last May, when Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and re-imposed harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism.

Trump and his hawkish advisers Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have since been stepping up pressure against Iranians.

In early April, the US administration decided to designate Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, while critics called it stupid and dangerous. In a tit-for-tat measure, Tehran labeled the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in the Middle-East as a terrorist entity.

According to Fars News Agancy, the tensions saw a sharp rise on the first anniversary of Washington’s exit from the deal as the US moved to ratchet up pressure on Iran by tightening its oil sanctions and sending military reinforcements, including an aircraft carrier strike group, a squadron of B-52 bombers, and a battery of Patriot missiles, to the Persian Gulf region.

On Friday, Pompeo confirmed that the US administration has invoked a rarely-used legal statute to “immediately” clear $8.1 billion in arms sales to its Arab allies in order to “deter Iranian aggression”, while Washington has so far provided no evidence or details on Tehran's alleged threat.

At the same day, Trump announced he would deploy about 1,500 American troops to the Middle East region for "mostly protective" reasons, amid escalating tensions with Iran.

Iran has stressed that it will not be the initiator of any war, but reserves the right to self defense and will give a crushing response to any act of aggression by the United States.

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