MNA – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday that Moscow is concerned by the US threats to Iran amid tensions in the Persian Gulf and is calling on both sides to exercise restraint.

According to the diplomat, the United States is interpreting its right to self-defense in its own way by threatening Iran with attacks in the Persian Gulf.

"This is one of the methods that create uncertainty in the international community, this is a deliberate desire to sow discord among members of the international community, given that different countries interpret the relevant provisions of international law differently,” he said.

“This is one of the elements of US policy that is aimed at continuing to play on the nerves", Ryabkov added.

His comments came in reaction to US President Donald Trump’s tweet that he had told the United States Navy to "shoot down and destroy" Iranian gunboats that "harass" US ships, without citing a specific event in his tweet or providing details.

The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami downplayed the anti-Iran rhetoric right away, warning that the Islamic Republic will target American vessels if they were to threaten the safety of the country’s vessels or warships.

“We declare to them that we are absolutely determined and serious in defending our national security, water borders and maritime interests, and that any move [against us] will be effectively and swiftly met with a decisive, effective response,” Salami said on Thursday.

The top commander said that Iran has ordered its naval units “to target any flotilla or military unit of the US Navy's terrorist forces if they were to put at risk the safety of our vessels or warships.”