Washington DC, March 10 -- US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday cautioned Russia against intervening in the ongoing conflict in West Asia amid rising tensions involving Iran with the US and Israel.

His remarks came during a Pentagon briefing, following questions about a recent telephone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Hegseth described the call as a "strong call" that reaffirmed the possibility of peace in Russia's war with Ukraine and underlined that Russia should not become involved in the Iran conflict.

"The [US] president, as I've said before, maintains strong relationships with world leaders, which creates opportunities and options for us in very dynamic ways. The President said ...