U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, deployed to the region, conduct joint exercises in Arabian Sea, June 1, 2019. (Reuters)

MOSCOW, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the United States to avoid any steps that would stoke further tensions with Iran, according to an interview published on Thursday.

"Any reckless moves can lead to conflicts fraught with unpredictable and destructive consequences," Lavrov told German newspaper Rheinische Post in an interview posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website.

The policy of a complete strangulation of the Iranian economy pursued by Washington has led to a sharp exacerbation of the situation in the Gulf region, Lavrov said, calling the U.S. course "short-sighted and dangerous."

The build-up of U.S. naval forces in the region creates the risk of an armed confrontation, the top Russian diplomat warned.

Lavrov asked all parties, especially the United States, to take steps to deescalate the situation and resolve existing problems by political and diplomatic means.

He said Russia will continue its "absolutely legal, mutually beneficial" cooperation with Iran.