NATO said it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing Eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets, and could also send additional troops to its southeast flank, in what Russia denounced as an escalation of tensions over Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday described his visit to Eastern Europe and Balkans as successful, saying that the tour will help deepen ties with those countries.
Foreign Minister is to travel to Balkan and Eastern Europe as of Monday for talks with Serbian, Bulgarian, Croatian and Bosnian officials, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said.
Russia views the U.S. missile shield in Eastern Europe as a "great danger" and Moscow will be forced to respond by enhancing its missile strike capability, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
NATO's build-up in eastern Europe could include up to 3,500 troops, Britain said on Friday, stressing that the planned deployments would not be aggressive toward Russia.
