Newsweek:

Tom O'Connor specializes in the Middle East, North Korea and other foreign conflicts at Newsweek, formerly at International Business Times, New York Post, The Daily Star (Lebanon) and Staten Island Advance.

Russia's top diplomat warned the United States to stop blaming Iran for the increasing unrest in the Middle East, arguing that Washington was behind the ongoing crisis there and risked sparking a conflict.

In an interview Wednesday with Moscow-based newspaper Argumenty i Fakty, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov defended ongoing ties with both Iran and Israel as having "intrinsic value" for his country, despite the worsening feud between the archfoes. The two have exchanged threats as the U.S. stepped up its "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran in hopes of isolating it internationally, a strategy that Lavrov condemned as destabilizing.

"The escalating tension in the region we are witnessing today is the direct result of Washington and some of its allies raising the stakes in their anti-Iranian policy," Lavrov said.

"The U.S. is flexing its muscles by seeking to discredit Tehran and blame all the sins on the Islamic Republic of Iran," he added. "This creates a dangerous situation: a single match can start a fire. The responsibility for he possible catastrophic consequences will rest with the United States."

An Iranian navy warship fires an anti-ship cruise missile during the Velayat-97 drills in the Gulf of Oman, February 23. The U.S. has accused Iran of attacking oil tankers in the same strategic stretch of water, something the Islamic Republic has repeatedly denied. Islamic Republic of Iran Army

Russia was joined by China, the European Union, France, Germany and the United Kingdom in signing a 2015 nuclear deal championed by the U.S. and Iran, which agreed to curb Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Last year, President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned the agreement, accusing Tehran of using unfrozen funds to finance militant groups and develop ballistic missiles, leaving the accord's other signatories to salvage it.

Since then, the U.S. has increasingly restricted international trade with Iran by threatening countries, including allies, with sanctions. The Pentagon has also bolstered its military presence in the Middle East amid what the White House has claimed was a heightened threat posed by forces link to Tehran, which the U.S. has accused of attacking oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

Go to link