“As for President Trump’s decision to send 1,500 troops in addition to those deployed in the Middle East and North Africa region, well, you know, always when the military potential grows, the risks increase. I very much hope that the sensible voices that are heard from Washington, including the respected former military leaders, politicians, diplomats about the recklessness of the idea of war against Iran, will be heard," Lavrov told reporters.
US President Donald Trump earlier said the United States would additionally deploy about 1,500 troops to the Middle East to protect the already deployed US military in the region. Iran, for its part, denounced the move as "a threat to international peace."
The Pentagon has justified the move to deploy additional troops due to a series of minor attacks in May allegedly conducted by Iranian forces, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and "proxy" forces, while Tehran has strongly any involvement.
READ MORE: Iran Takes THIS MOVE to Try to Defuse Gulf Tensions Amid Row With US
Responding to the latest US moves to build up forces in the region, Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday that the country will defend itself against any “war efforts”.
The US-Iranian relations became tense in 2018 as US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal and subsequently introduced fresh sanctions targeting Tehran.