MOSCOW, June 18. /TASS/. Washington’s actions against Tehran have for a long time been aimed at instigating a war, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Tuesday.

"For quite a while, we have been witnessing the United States’ continuous attempts to increase political, psychological, economic and military pressure on Iran. I think that such actions are rather provocative and cannot be considered as anything other than a deliberate policy to instigate a war," he pointed out.

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said earlier that Washington was "considering a full range of options" on Iran, including a military response.

The political standoff between Iran and the United States has already increased tensions in the Persian Gulf area as Washington decided to deploy the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a bomber task force there. The US announced later that the amphibious assault ship USS Arlington and Patriot missile batteries would also be dispatched to the Middle East.