The Russian Foreign Ministry: The American strike in Syria disrupted the negotiations between Washington and Tehran

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov confirmed that the US strikes that targeted Iranian militias in Syria resulted in the disruption of “informal negotiations” between Washington and Tehran.

“The American air raid in Syria coincided with intensive preparations for a meeting between American and Iranian delegations,” the Russian “TASS” agency quoted Ryabkov as saying, suggesting that there are “influential forces in Washington that have taken steps to disrupt this meeting,” as he put it.

On February 26, the Pentagon announced that its warplanes launched raids on military installations belonging to Iranian militias in Syria, in response to missile attacks targeting an American base in Iraq.

The Pentagon said that the raids targeted militias affiliated with the Iraqi “Hezbollah” Brigades and the “Sayyid al-Shuhada” Brigades in the city of Albu Kamal, eastern Syria.

The death toll from the Iranian militias in the US strike rose to 17, according to what Reuters quoted medical and local sources in the region as saying.

The White House spokesman announced earlier, that the US air strikes in Syria aim to send a message that President Joe Biden is working to protect Americans.

The White House emphasized that the strikes were necessary to reduce the risk of further attacks, and added that any other US measures in the region would be in consultation and aimed at preventing the escalation of tension in Syria.

It is noteworthy that the recent US strike is the first military operation for US President Joe Biden, as Pentagon spokesman James Kirby said: “US President Joe Biden gave directions to launch raids on infrastructure used by Iranian-backed military groups in eastern Syria.”