Kremlin Says Attack on Iran Raises Tensions in Region

JAKARTA - The Kremlin on Monday said the Iran war was escalating both geographically and economically, and the entire Middle East region was "on fire" due to the United States and Israel's attacks on Iran.

US President Donald Trump, in a scathing social media post on Sunday, threatened to target Iranian power plants and bridges on Tuesday if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened.

When asked by Reuters about Trump's statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had seen it but the Kremlin preferred not to comment directly.

"We note that the level of tension in the region is increasing and continues to increase," Peskov said, launching Al Arabiya from Reuters (6/4).

"The fact is, the whole area is on fire. This is all a very dangerous and negative consequence of the aggression launched against Iran," he continued.

"The geography of this conflict has expanded, and now we all realize the consequences we have, including very, very negative consequences for the global economy," Peskov said.

As previously reported, US President Donald Trump said he had given Iran a deadline until Tuesday night to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face an attack on its infrastructure, according to an interview he gave to the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

"If they don't do something by Tuesday night, they're not going to have a power plant and a bridge that's still standing," President Trump told the Journal.

The Republican politician then posted on social media, without mentioning Iran or other details: "Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time!"

In a separate post earlier on Sunday, President Trump said Iran would face an infrastructure attack if it did not open the strait on Tuesday, but did not give a specific time.

In response, the head of the Iranian Parliament warned President Trump, "his reckless steps" would mean "our entire region will be on fire."

"Your reckless steps drag the United States into a hell that is terrible for every family, and the whole region will burn because you insist on following Netanyahu's orders," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote in an English-language X post, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The head of the Iranian Parliament added, "the only real solution is to respect the rights of the Iranian people and end this dangerous game."