Russia and its partners will take steps to counter new sanctions that Washington has said it will impose on Iran, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies on Monday.

In the comments reported by TASS and RIA, Ryabkov did not specify what those steps would be.

He said the imposition of U.S. sanctions would aggravate tensions, and Washington should instead be seeking dialogue with Tehran, the agencies quoted him as saying.

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The remarks come after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would impose fresh sanctions on Iran following the shooting down of an unmanned U.S. drone Thursday by the Islamic Republic.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Saturday claimed that the drone was in international airspace, "shown beyond any doubt." Iran denied that, its foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif published a map on Twitter with detailed coordinates which he said showed the drone was flying over the Islamic Republic's territorial waters.

(With inputs from Reuters.)

(Cover: Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani attend a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 14, 2019. /VCG Photo)