Putin urges Israel to use diplomacy, not bombs, with Iran

MOSCOW, June 14 (Reuters): Russian leader Vladimir Putin told Iran's president over the phone on Friday that Moscow condemned Israeli actions against Tehran, and in a separate telephone conversation told Israel's prime minister that only diplomacy could resolve issues around Iran's nuclear programme.

A Kremlin statement said Putin had spoken to both leaders. Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned a "sharp escalation" in tension between Israel and Iran.

Explosions resounded over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and sirens sounded across Israel following what a military spokesman said was the firing of missiles from Iran. Iran's state news agency IRNA said hundreds of ballistic missiles had been launched in retaliation for Israel's biggest ever attacks on Iran.

A Kremlin statement said Putin told Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian that Russia "condemns the actions of Israel taken in violation of the UN Charter" and expressed condolences for those killed.

The statement said Putin, in his conversation with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "stressed the importance of a return to the process of talks and resolution of all issues concerning Iran's nuclear programme strictly through political and diplomatic means".