Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov issued a stern warning to the United States, saying any new military action against Iran would have serious consequences and calling for continued diplomatic efforts to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program. In an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television, which aired on Tuesday, Lavrov discussed developments around Iran's nuclear program, a day after indirect talks near Geneva between U.S. and Iranian envoys, brokered by Oman.

"In the past there have been attacks in Iran, on nuclear facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. As far as we can judge, there were real risks of a nuclear incident," the Russian foreign minister stressed, according to a translated transcript posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry website.

He noted that he was "carefully monitoring the reactions in the region, especially from Arab countries and the Gulf monarchies," stressing that "no one wants further escalation" and that "everyone understands that this is playing with fire."

According to Sergey Lavrov, a military conflict could reverse the positive steps of recent years, including the improvement of Iran's relations with countries in the region, especially with Saudi Arabia.

He added that Arab countries are sending messages to Washington "making a clear call for restraint and seeking an agreement that will not violate Iran's legitimate rights," but instead "will guarantee that Iran maintains an exclusively peaceful uranium enrichment program."

The Russian Foreign Minister also said that Moscow is in frequent contact with the leadership in Tehran and that "we have no reason to doubt that Iran sincerely wants this problem to be resolved on the basis of compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."

His statements come at a time of high tensions in the Middle East, with diplomatic processes continuing but military options remaining on the table.