MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has issued a stark warning that any new U.S. military strike on Iran would carry “serious consequences,” urging restraint and diplomacy amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran.
In an interview aired on Al-Arabiya this week, Lavrov said strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities already monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency had posed “real risks of a nuclear incident,” and that further escalation would be “playing with fire.”
“The consequences are not good,” he said, stressing that Arab and Gulf states were signalling they did not want tensions to rise further. “Everyone understands this is playing with fire,” Lavrov added.
Diplomacy and Regional Concerns
Lavrov’s warnings came after U.S. President Donald Trump was signalling that American forces are prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend amid a massive buildup of U.S. military assets in the Middle East, according to U.S. officials and media reports citing defence sources.
CNN and CBS News reported on Wednesday that US forces could be ready to launch strikes as early as this weekend, although Trump has not yet made a final decision.
The top Russian diplomat suggested that escalating tensions could undermine recent diplomatic progress in the region, including improved ties between Iran and neighbouring countries such as Saudi Arabia.
Lavrov said Moscow remained in close contact with Iranian leaders and believed Tehran wished to resolve the dispute within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, emphasising that any settlement must respect Iran’s rights while ensuring its enrichment programme remains peaceful.
U.S. Military Posture and Broader Risks
The warning reflects growing concern in Moscow about U.S. military deployments in the Middle East. U.S. national security officials have said that forces could be fully positioned near Iran by mid-March as the United States reviews its readiness for possible strikes.
The United States continues to press Tehran to abandon its nuclear programme, while Iran insists its activities are peaceful and within its rights under international law.
Lavrov’s comments align with widening regional unease that military confrontation — even a limited U.S. strike — could rapidly spiral into a broader conflict, destabilising an already volatile Middle East and reversing diplomatic advances made in recent years
