Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Iran had the "legitimate" right to defend itself in the face of Israel's ongoing bombing campaign, now in its sixth day.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel's "act of force" against Iran and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities when they spoke by phone on Monday,

A ministry statement posted on Telegram noted Iran's "clear statements" on its commitment to adhere to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and its willingness to meet with U.S. representatives. The statement also said Moscow was waiting for the International Atomic Energy Agency to provide "unvarnished" assessments of the damage caused to Iranian nuclear facilities by Israeli attacks.

Since Israel began its concerted attack on Iran on Friday, calls for regime change in Iran have grown louder – from hawks in the US Congress to Israeli officials and some Iranian activists abroad.