Moscow, March 17 -- The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday issued a strong statement condemning the recent escalation of violence in the Middle East blaming the United States and Israel for what it described as a "treacherous and unprovoked attack on Iran" and calling for an immediate end to hostilities.

The ministry accused Washington and Tel Aviv of instigating an "unprecedented spiral of violence" that has caused extensive civilian casualties and widespread damage to infrastructure across the region.

According to the official text, the toll of victims from what Moscow terms "American-Israeli aggression" now runs into "hundreds and thousands," with significant harm inflicted on civilian infrastructure. The statement points ...