MOSCOW, July 18 (Reuters) - The presidents of Iran and Russia discussed by telephone on Friday the need for an end to the conflict in Gaza and renewed Israeli-Palestinian talks, the Kremlin said.
The conversation between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Iran's Hassan Rouhani was initiated by Tehran and was prompted by concerns over the "sharp escalation of the crisis" since Israel began its land offensive in Gaza, it said.
"Both sides stressed the need for a speedy end to the armed conflict and the resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations," the Kremlin said. The two leaders also spoke about negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme, it said.
(Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel, editing by Thomas Grove)
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