In this handout photo released by the Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a meeting with Cuba's President of the Council of State Esteban Lazo Hernandez, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022 (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

Russia has called on the United States to remove all illegal sanctions against Iran "as soon as possible and irreversibly," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"Washington has not given up on the policy of 'maximum pressure' in relation to the nuclear deal with Iran. We strongly urge the American side to lift all illegal sanctions against Iran as soon as possible and irreversibly and ensure the strict implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231," Lavrov told the participants of the Moscow Conference on Non-proliferation in a video message.

Such a step would pave the way for Tehran's reciprocal "defrosting" of its voluntary commitments under the nuclear deal, Lavrov added.

Direct nuclear powers clash unacceptable: Lavrov

The United States and NATO's policy towards an actual military confrontation with Russia are full of catastrophic consequences, and Moscow is obliged to regularly warn Washington and Brussels about the unacceptability of a direct clash between nuclear powers, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"In the context of the West's efforts to contain Russia, the general policy of the United States and NATO towards an actual military confrontation with us poses a serious threat. Obviously, this is fraught with a direct clash of nuclear powers with catastrophic consequences. We are forced to regularly send our warning signals on this matter. But instead of taking them seriously, the West maliciously distorts them and accuses us of using 'threat rhetoric," Lavrov added in his video message.

It is worth noting that last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken threatened Tehran with more sanctions for its alleged military assistance to Russia, repeating charges that Iranian drones were delivered to Russia to use in the Ukraine war.

Blinken's comments coincided with Amir Saeed Iravani, Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, firmly rejecting claims regarding the delivery of drones to Russia and stating that Tehran has maintained "a position of active neutrality" since the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

The US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the first anti-Iran allegations in July, claiming that Washington had "information" indicating that the Islamic Republic was getting ready to give Russia "up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline" for use in the conflict.

Russian and Iranian officials have frequently denied allegations that Tehran gave Moscow drones to use in the conflict in Ukraine.