A member of the Russian Parliament's upper house, Alexei Pushkov, warned of another "unwanted" crisis in the Middle East after the imposition of a new round of sanctions on Iran by the United States.
"A new crisis may erupt in the Middle East following the introduction of new US sanctions against Iran," Pushkov said on Saturday.
"The outspoken hostility of the United States against Iran may cause a new, dangerous and unwanted crisis in the Middle East while the problem of the Islamic State [terrorist group] has not been settled yet," Pushkov said in a post on Twitter, Sputnik reported.
Tensions in bilateral ties between Washington and Tehran reached a new high after Iran's ballistic missile test last week.
US President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser Michael Flynn on Wednesday announced at the press briefing in the White House that Iran has been "officially put on notice" for its activities.
On Friday, the United States introduced a new round of sanctions against Tehran, including 25 individuals and entities based in Iran, Lebanon, the UAE and China for their alleged support for Iran's ballistic missile program.
In response to the move, Iran vowed to retaliate with legal restrictions on American individuals and entities that are assisting "regional terrorist groups."
Iranian officials slammed the US decision, saying that the missile test is Tehran's "internal affair aimed at strengthening the country's defense capability" amid uncertainty in the international arena.
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