Moscow, Feb 28 : Russia on Saturday condemned the "unprovoked' armed attack by the United States and Israel on Iran, asserting the urgent need to return the situation to a political and diplomatic resolution.

Russia's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi held a telephonic conversation on Saturday at the initiative of the Iranian side.

"The Iranian minister reported on the Iranian leadership's steps to repel US and Israeli aggression, which has once again disrupted negotiations for a peaceful resolution to the Iranian nuclear programme. He announced plans to urgently convene a meeting of the UN Security Council," read a statement issued by the Russian MFA after the phone call.

"Sergei Lavrov condemned the unprovoked armed attack by the US and Israel on Iran, which violates the principles and norms of international law and completely disregards the grave consequences for regional and global stability and security. The minister emphasised the need to immediately cease attacks against the Islamic Republic and return the situation to a political and diplomatic resolution," it added.

Lavrov, the statement mentioned, noted Russia's readiness, including in the UN Security Council, to facilitate the search for peaceful solutions based on international law, mutual respect, and a balance of interests.

Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States has initiated "major combat operations" in Iran, confirming a dramatic escalation in hostilities that heightened fears of a broader regional conflict in a strategically and economically sensitive part of the world.

In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that the renewed military aggression against Iran is being committed while Tehran and Washington were in the midst of a diplomatic process.

"Despite being confident in the intentions of the United States and the Zionist regime to carry out another military aggression, we once again entered into negotiations to prove to the international system and all countries of the world the rightfulness of the Iranian nation and to demonstrate the illegitimacy of any excuse for aggression," it stated.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran recalls the grave duty of the United Nations and its Security Council to take immediate action to confront the violation of international peace and security due to the clear military aggression of the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran, and calls on the UN Secretary-General, the President of the Security Council, and the members of this Council to fulfill their duty as soon as possible," it added.

/IANS