Iran Press/Europe: Talking to US film director Oliver Stone in an interview published on the official Kremlin website on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed concern over the confrontation between the United States and Iran, TASS reported.
"This worries us because this is happening near our borders. This may destabilize the situation around Iran, affect some countries with which we have very close relations, causing additional refugee flows on a large scale plus substantially damage the world economy as well as the global energy sector," Putin said.
"We would welcome any improvement when it comes to relations between the US and Iran. A simple escalation of tension will not be advantageous for anyone. It seems to me that this is also the case with the US," he added.
The US President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that a US warship, USS Boxer, had shot down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz, as it was "threatening" the US ship, while the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) released images that invalidate the US claim regarding the alleged downing of an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
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According to the IRGC statement, the drone has sent its images, including those of USS Boxer, before and after the claimed time of the shooting, prior to returning safely to its base.
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The United States withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal on 8 May 2018 and imposed economic sanctions on Tehran’s oil exports. One year later, on 8 May 2019, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced Iran’s suspension of some commitments within the framework of the nuclear deal and gave other signatories to the deal two months to carry out and honour their commitments. 101/211/208
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