MOSCOW, January 3. /TASS/. The US strike at the Baghdad airport, which killed Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, is fraught with grave consequences for peace in the region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"Washington’s step is fraught with grave consequences for regional peace and stability. We are guided by the premise that such actions are not conducive to finding solutions to the complex problems that have piled up in the Middle East. On the contrary, they lead to a new round of escalation of tensions in the region," the ministry stressed.

The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that Moscow was concerned about reports about the Iranian commander’s murder.

The Pentagon earlier confirmed that a missile strike near the Baghdad airport killed the head of the Quds Force Qasem Soleimani. The operation was carried out at the direction of US President Donald Trump, the statement said.

The Quds Force is a unit in Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) that is actively involved in military conflicts in Syria and Iraq. It is believed that its successful operations were mainly attributable to its commander Qasem Soleimani. Washington earlier branded Soleimani as a terrorist.