MOSCOW, October 2. /TASS/. The United States bears much responsibility for the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"Moscow is extremely concerned about another dangerous round of escalation in the Middle East. We have repeatedly warned that a number of unresolved crises in this part of the world, primarily the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, have the potential for an extensive escalation of the situation," the diplomat said at a news conference.

"We believe that a significant share of responsibility <...> for the deterioration of the current situation is borne by the United States of America, which for almost a year has been blocking the adoption by the UN Security Council of a resolution with an unambiguous demand to stop hostilities in the Gaza Strip and to provide conditions for humanitarian assistance to its population," the spokeswoman stated.