Moscow, Jun 22 (PTI) Russia on Sunday strongly condemned the "irresponsible" US strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, asserting that it "grossly violates" international law, UN Charter and UNSC resolutions.
The US bombed three major nuclear sites -- Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan -- in Iran earlier in the day, bringing itself into the Israel-Iran conflict.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, “The irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb strikes, no matter what arguments are used, grossly violates international law, the UN Charter, and the resolutions of the UN Security Council, which previously unequivocally qualified such actions as unacceptable."
Without naming the US, the ministry said it was "especially alarming" that the strikes were carried out by "a country that is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.”
It also called for the "collective" rejection of the "confrontational actions" of the US and Israel.
Noting that while the consequences of the bombing, including radiological ones, are yet to be assessed, the ministry said it was "already obvious that a dangerous escalation has begun, fraught with further undermining of regional and global security".
The risk of an escalation of conflict in the Middle East, already engulfed in multiple crises, has "increased significantly", it said.
Following the bombing, US President Donald Trump said the Iranian nuclear facilities were "completely and totally obliterated". He also warned of additional strikes if Iran retaliated.
The Russian foreign ministry said that the damage caused by the US attack on the global non-proliferation regime based on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is "of particular concern".
"The attacks on Iran have caused enormous damage to the credibility of the NPT and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) verification and monitoring system based on it,” the statement said.
Russia expects a "prompt, professional, and honest reaction from the agency's leadership without evasive phrases and attempts to hide behind political 'equidistance'," it said.
The ministry stressed the need for an "objective report" from the IAEA Director General for consideration at a special session of the agency, which it said is scheduled to take place very shortly.
"Of course, the UN Security Council must also react. The confrontational actions of the US and Israel must be collectively rejected,” it said.