Russia is issuing a fierce response to the attack on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant, and says any strikes on nuclear facilities must stop immediately.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says Moscow “strongly condemns” what she calls an “evil deed”, adding that the strike has caused loss of life.

Zakharova says attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, including Bushehr, must end at once.

Her remarks follow the strike earlier today, which Russia is describing as a US-Israeli attack on the facility.

Separately, Russia’s state nuclear firm Rosatom says it has begun evacuating 198 members of staff from Bushehr after the strike.