MOSCOW, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The situation in the Middle East is rapidly deteriorating and threatens to spin completely out of control, but chances for a political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict remain, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Russia expressed extreme concern over strikes on civilian infrastructure, including nuclear facilities and cultural heritage sites, as well as the enormous number of civilian casualties, according to a statement published on the ministry's website.
Of particular concern to Moscow are the increasingly frequent attacks on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which have already resulted in casualties among the staff and created the risk of a more severe radioactive disaster in the Persian Gulf region than the Chernobyl nuclear accident, said the statement.
"We once again urgently call for an immediate cessation of hostilities. We welcome the efforts of a number of states, including Pakistan, Türkiye, and China, to de-escalate tensions around Iran with the aim of initiating a dialogue on a long-term and sustainable normalization of the situation in the Middle East," it said.
Moscow believes that chances for a political-diplomatic settlement still remain, but to prevent them from being undermined, the parties must abandon threats, ultimatums, and actions capable of escalating the conflict, the statement added. ■
