Russia’s foreign ministry has condemned alleged strikes on an Iranian nuclear enrichment facility as a “blatant violation of international law”.

It comes after an official Iran news agency reported that Iran’s Natanz nuclear site has been hit in an air strike, saying there was no radiation leakage.

Israel’s military has said it is “unaware” of a strike on the facility.

The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), urged military restraint and said it is looking into the reports.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has called for military restraint to “avoid any risk of a nuclear accident” following reports that Iran’s Natanz nuclear site was targeted in strikes.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement on X it has been informed by Tehran that the site “was attacked today”.

Reports have not been confirmed and Israel’s military says it’s “unaware” of a strike on the facility.

The IAEA said it is looking into the report and no increase in off-site radiation levels have been reported.

Their director general Rafael Grossi “reiterates call for military restraint to avoid any risk of nuclear accident”, the statement added.

Of course, Israel’s longest-serving head of government could hardly be more alive and kicking, politically as well as literally, than he is at present. So much so that it has been increasingly accepted – and justly so, as I argued 10 days ago – that he was pivotal in Donald Trump’s decision to start a joint US-Israel war on Iran on February 28.

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The three-week-old war has shown no signs of abating, with Israel saying Iran continued to fire missiles at it early on Saturday, while Saudi Arabia said it downed 20 drones in just a couple of hours in the country’s eastern region, which is home to major oil installations.

The attacks came a day after Israeli air strikes hit in Tehran as Iranians celebrated the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, a normally festive holiday that has been muted by the war.

The US and Israel have offered shifting rationales for the war, from hoping to foment an uprising that topples Iran’s leadership to eliminating its nuclear and missile programmes.

There have been no public signs of any such uprising and no end to the war in sight.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei praised Iranians’ steadfastness in the face of war in a written statement read on Iranian television to mark Nowruz.

Mr Khamenei has not been seen in public since he became supreme leader following Israeli strikes that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and reportedly wounded him.

With little information coming out of Iran, it was not clear how much damage its arms, nuclear or energy facilities have sustained in the punishing US and Israeli strikes, which began on February 28 – or even who was truly in charge of the country.

Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, to discuss the war in the Middle East, Downing Street said.

A spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister spoke to His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, this morning.

“The leaders began by discussing the situation on the ground, and the Prime Minister outlined the UK’s latest support for Bahrain, including deploying a team of experts to help counter drone attacks.

“Both condemned Iran’s ongoing attacks on critical national infrastructure and the Strait of Hormuz. The Prime Minister updated on the US use of UK bases in the collective self-defence of the region, including to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack shipping.

“Discussing diplomatic efforts in the region, the Prime Minister welcomed Bahrain joining the growing list of signatories to the UK-led joint statement condemning Iran’s attacks and calling for de-escalation. The Prime Minister also thanked His Highness for Bahrain’s continued leadership in the United Nations to drive forward an end to the conflict.

“The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.”

A Patriot air defence system was involved in the interception of an Iranian drone over a residential area of Bahrain on March, Bahrain’s government said on Saturday, describing an incident that led to civilian injuries.

The interception prevented a drone strike and saved lives, the spokesperson said. The US military had previously said an Iranian drone had struck a residential neighbourhood on 9 March, injuring civilians.

The United States is deploying three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additional marines to the Middle East, an official told The Associated Press.

Two other US officials confirmed that ships were deploying, without saying where they were heading.

Days earlier the US redirected another group of amphibious assault ships carrying another 2,500 marines from the Pacific to the Middle East.

The marines will join more than 50,000 US troops already in the region.

Mr Trump has said he has no plans to send ground forces into Iran but has also asserted that he retains all options.

India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X on Saturday that he had spoken with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Modi condemned attacks on critical infrastructure in the Middle East region, while also reiterating the importance of ensuring that shipping lanes remain open and secure.

“Appreciated Iran’s continued support for the safety and security of Indian nationals in Iran,” Modi added.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon and over 1 million displaced in the Israeli attacks.

Israel said Saturday’s attacks on Iran included Tehran, Karaj, west of the capital, and the central city of Isfahan. Three members of a family were killed in a strike on a residential building in the city of Ramsar, Iranian media quoted a local governor as saying.

Before its strikes on Lebanon, the Israeli military said it had issued evacuation warnings for seven neighbourhoods in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Four Hezbollah militants were killed in southern Lebanon, one in a “ground engagement” and three using tank fire, it said.