ISTANBUL

Russia on Tuesday said that Israel’s attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran are pushing the world toward a “nuclear catastrophe.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the escalation between Iran and Israel, saying the ongoing strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities are "illegal from the point of view of international law."

The statement added that the strikes would also "create unacceptable threats to international security and push the world towards a nuclear catastrophe, the consequences of which will be felt everywhere, including in Israel itself."

“Russia calls on the Israeli leadership to come to its senses and immediately stop attacks on nuclear installations and sites under safeguards and subject to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) verification activities,” it added.

It said Moscow expects the UN nuclear watchdog's top officials to prepare a "detailed written report" for the IAEA Investigative Committee and the UN Security Council, which will include assessments of the damage caused by Israel's strikes to the security of Iran's nuclear energy complex.

It also argued that, based on the “harsh and uncompromising” reaction of the majority of countries, among other developments, Israel’s actions against Iran are “understood and supported only by those states that are its actual accomplices and act for opportunistic reasons.”

The statement went on to say that Russia notes Iran's statement about its "continued commitment to its obligations under the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) and its readiness to resume contacts with the United States to develop possible solutions," removing any suspicions and prejudices about Tehran's nuclear program, provided that Israel ceases its attacks.

“Moscow … firmly believes that the sought-after settlement can only be reliably achieved through diplomacy and negotiations. The goals of nuclear non-proliferation, the fundamental basis of which is the NPT, must not be achieved through aggression and at the cost of innocent victims,” it added.

Regional tensions have escalated since Friday when Israel launched airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

Israeli authorities said at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks. Iran said at least 224 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the Israeli assault.