Moscow has once again hit out at Washington’s plans for stationing a missile system in Eastern Europe.

Russia cannot allow US plans to deploy elements of its missile system in Europe to threaten the effectiveness of its nuclear deterrent, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

Lavrov also assured the US that there is no threat from Iranian missiles.

Washington says the system aims to counter possible missile attacks from Iran. However, Lavrov stressed that Tehran is unlikely to develop such missiles in the future. The US has already begun negotiations with Romania and Bulgaria to host the system on their soil.

Lavrov has made it clear that such a system will not be accepted, as it is a threat to the effectiveness of Russia’s nuclear deterrence. Military experts say the planned missile system could be capable of hitting Russia’s ballistic missiles in the next ten years.

The deployment of US interceptor missiles in the Black Sea region has caused high tension between Moscow and Washington over the past years.

SG/RE