Lavrov says Russia sees no proof of Iranian nuclear weapons

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow sees no evidence that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. He was responding to statements by US President Donald Trump, who said the joint US-Israel attack aimed to halt Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

After talks with Brunei's foreign minister in Moscow, Lavrov said the entire region is feeling the consequences of the attacks. He said Arab countries are bearing the economic costs and suffering casualties.

At the same time, he called for an immediate end to the fighting and stressed the need to prevent civilian casualties. He referred to reports of a school being bombed in Iran.

Iranian state media accused the US and Israel of attacking a girls’ elementary school in the south of the country, killing more than 160 people. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US forces would not have deliberately targeted the school.

The Russian minister also warned that war could encourage not only Iran but also its Arab neighbours to seek nuclear weapons, increasing the risk of uncontrolled proliferation of nuclear capabilities in the region.

(reuters, lud)