Russia says embassy attacks illegal, calls for Saudi-Iran restraint

Smoke rises from Saudi Arabia's embassy during a demonstration in Tehran January 2, 2016. REUTERS/TIMA/Mehdi Ghasemi/ISNA

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Attacks on diplomatic missions can never be a legal means of protest, Russia said on Monday, after Iranian demonstrators stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran in protest at Riyadh's execution of a senior Shi'ite cleric. Russia's foreign ministry expressed "serious concern" about the worsening situation in the region and called on the two countries and others "to show restraint and avoid any steps that would complicate the situation and lead to a rise in tensions". (Reporting By Jason Bush)