Iranian president discusses retaliatory action against Israel with Putin

TEHRAN -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday exchanged views on Iran's massive retaliatory military operation against Israel.

In a phone call, Raisi praised Russia for its "principled and constructive" position on Iran's "legitimate defense" against the Israeli "act of aggression" on the consular section of its embassy in Damascus, Syria, according to a statement from the Iranian president's office.

He said Israel's action was a flagrant violation of international laws, including the Vienna Conventions, and constituted a serious threat to global peace.

Raisi noted that it is because of the destructive role of the United States and some Western countries and the inaction and inefficiency of some international organizations in dealing with this Israeli "aggressive act" that Iran carried out a defensive response based on Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Raisi appreciated Russia's diplomatic efforts to foil the "conspiracies" of the U.S. and some Western countries at the UN Security Council, urging these countries to stop supporting Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people to achieve regional stability and security.

Putin, for his part, condemned Israel's act against Iran's diplomatic premises, considering the Iranian retaliation a punishment for the "aggressor" in "the best way."

The Russian president also strongly criticized the behavior of the U.S. and some Western countries in creating tension in West Asia.

In the phone talks, the two sides also discussed bilateral cooperation in trade, security, energy, science and technology, and transportation areas and called for accelerating the implementation of previously signed bilateral agreements, according to the statement.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said in two separate statements early Sunday that it had launched a combined missile and drone attack against Israel and "successfully hit and destroyed" important Israeli military targets.

The attack was in response to an Israeli strike against Iran's consulate in Syria, which killed seven Iranians, including two veteran commanders.