Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia: The US said Friday Iran has no right to respond to diplomacy "with military force", a day after Tehran shot down a US reconnaissance drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
"Our diplomacy does not give Iran the right to respond with military force," Brian Hook, the US special representative on Iran, told reporters in Saudi Arabia.
"Iran needs to meet diplomacy with diplomacy, not military force."
The downing of the drone -- which Washington insists was over international waters but Tehran says was within its airspace -- has seen tensions between the two countries spike further after a series of attacks on tankers the US and Saudi Arabia have blamed on Iran.
Tehran has frequently threatened in the past to block the vital sea lanes into and out of the Gulf.
"Iran is responsible for escalating tensions in the region. They continue to reject diplomatic overtures to deescalate tensions," Hook said.
The US diplomat was in Saudi Arabia, where he met Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman on Friday morning.
The two discussed efforts to counter Iranian actions, Prince Khalid said on Twitter.
"We affirmed the kingdom's support for the United States' maximum pressure campaign on Iran, which came as a result of continuing Iranian hostility and terrorism, and discussed latest Iranian attacks on the kingdom," he said.