Russia says Putin urged Israel to use diplomacy, not bombs, with Iran

By Andrew Osborn and Alexander Marrow

(Reuters) -Russian person Vladimir Putin told Iran's president implicit the telephone connected Friday that Moscow condemned Israeli actions against Tehran, and successful a abstracted telephone speech told Israel's premier curate that lone diplomacy could resoluteness issues astir Iran's atomic programme.

A Kremlin connection said Putin had spoken to some leaders. Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov condemned a "sharp escalation" successful hostility betwixt Israel and Iran.

Explosions resounded implicit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and sirens sounded crossed Israel pursuing what a subject spokesperson said was the firing of missiles from Iran. Iran's authorities quality bureau IRNA said hundreds of ballistic missiles had been launched successful retaliation for Israel's biggest ever attacks connected Iran.

A Kremlin connection said Putin told Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian that Russia "condemns the actions of Israel taken successful usurpation of the U.N. Charter" and expressed condolences for those killed.

The connection said Putin, successful his speech with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "stressed the value of a instrumentality to the process of talks and solution of each issues concerning Iran's atomic programme strictly done governmental and diplomatic means".

Russia, the connection said, would stay successful adjacent interaction with some Iran and Israel.

Earlier Russian statements said the Israeli strikes connected Iran were unprovoked and accused Israel of wrecking diplomatic efforts to scope a woody to allay Western concerns astir Tehran's atomic programme.

Initial reports suggested the Bushehr atomic powerfulness plant, which Russia built, had not been hit.

"Russia is acrophobic and condemns the crisp escalation successful tensions betwixt Israel and Iran," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told authorities media.

MOSCOW OFFERS TO HELP CLINCH DEAL

Moscow has repeatedly offered to assistance the U.S. and Iran scope a woody connected Tehran's atomic programme. It said connected Wednesday it was acceptable to region highly enriched uranium from Iran and person it into civilian reactor substance arsenic a imaginable mode to assistance constrictive U.S.-Iranian differences.

Russia and Iran person grown person successful caller years and Putin and Pezeshkian deepened subject ties betwixt their countries successful January erstwhile they signed a 20-year strategical concern pact.

But Moscow, which has supplied Iran with weapons and bought Iranian arms, is wary of being sucked into a struggle successful the Middle East and the pact contained nary communal defence clause.

In a elaborate connection drawn up astatine Putin's behest, the Foreign Ministry condemned Israel and accused the West of whipping up anti-Iranian "hysteria".

"We powerfully condemn the usage of unit by the authorities of Israel successful usurpation of the Charter of the United Nations and planetary law," the ministry said.

"Unprovoked subject strikes against a sovereign U.N. subordinate state, its citizens, peaceful cities, and atomic vigor infrastructure are categorically unacceptable.

"The planetary assemblage cannot spend to beryllium indifferent to specified atrocities, which destruct bid and harm determination and planetary security," it said.

The connection called connected some sides "to workout restraint successful bid to forestall a further escalation of tensions and the descent of the portion into full-scale war".

"In this respect we callback the readiness of the United States to clasp different circular of talks (on Sunday) with Iran connected the Iranian atomic programme successful Oman."

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Andrew Osborn/Lucy PapachristouEditing by Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones and Ron Popeski)