MOSCOW/TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Iranian counterpart on Wednesday that Western media had launched a campaign that could trigger escalation in the Persian Gulf, his ministry said.
In a telephone call with Hussein Amir-Abdollahian, Lavrov commented on “the harmfulness of the information campaign that has been launched by Western media”, the ministry said in a statement summarizing his remarks.
Lavrov told Amir-Abdollahian that such actions could result in a dangerous escalation of tension in the strategically important region, the ministry added.
Washington on Tuesday claimed about unspecified threats from Iran against Saudi Arabia and said it would not hesitate to respond if necessary.
The Wall Street Journal claimed that Saudi Arabia had shared intelligence with the United States warning of an imminent attack from Iran on targets in the kingdom.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied it posed a threat to Saudi Arabia. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani did not identify the Wall Street Journal but said reports had appeared in Western media of an Iranian threat against Saudi Arabia that were “baseless accusations”.
Earlier, the Iranian publication Noor News said the goal of Western media is to impose the idea that Iran seeks to launch an attack on Saudi Arabia.
The publication said the Wall Street Journal has failed to provide evidence for its claim.
Riyadh has not commented on the matter so far. Tehran has accused Saudi Arabia and Western countries of fomenting unrest and stoking riots in Iran. The American newspaper released its article following weeks of riots in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini.