Attack on Iran: Slutsky calls for convening the UN Security Council

The U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran is a deliberate act of aggression and escalation with extremely negative consequences for the entire region, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky said.

"The US and Israeli attack on Iran is a deliberate act of aggression and escalation with predictably extremely negative consequences for the entire region. Tehran has already launched a forceful response," Slutsky said.

A mutual exchange of strikes could lead to serious destabilization in the Middle East, humanitarian and environmental disasters, the lawmaker added.

"The situation requires an immediate meeting of the UN Security Council. The international community must prevent a scenario that threatens to escalate into World War III," Slutsky said.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli Defense Ministry said that Israel had launched a "preemptive" strike on Iran and declared a state of emergency. Later, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States had launched a large-scale operation against Iran.