FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a press conference at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom at the State Department in Washington, U.S., July 26, 2018. REUTERS/Alex Wroblewski

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday the shooting down of a Russian military plane by Syrian anti-aircraft fire was an “unfortunate” incident and a reminder that a political resolution to the conflict was needed.

“Yesterday’s unfortunate incident reminds us of the need to find permanent, peaceful, and political resolutions to the many overlapping conflicts in the region and the danger of tragic miscalculation in Syria’s crowded theater of operations,” Pompeo said in a statement.

He also called for an end to Iran’s “provocative” transit of weapons through Syria, which he said was a threat to the region.