There might have threats of assassination hanging darkly over Russian President Vladimir Putin on his maiden visit to Iran on Tuesday but that doesn’t seem to have changed the Russian leader’s stance on Iran and its relationship with Russia. Russia has always maintained a friendly and close relationship with the Asian nation and Mr. Putin’s visit to Teheran on Tuesday and his declaration of support for Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s nuclear ambitions once more reiterate how divided the world is on the Iran nuclear controversy.
Officially Mr. Putin was in Teheran to attend a summit of the five nations bordering the Caspian Sea in what was the first visit by a Kremlin leader since 1943. But there was no doubt that the Iran nuclear matter would gain the top priority in the day’s agenda. And that it did. Not only did Mr. Putin voice his support for Iran to continue its uranium enrichment project, he also clearly warned the international community of any attacks on Iran in respect to its defiance of any negotiations on the nuclear project.
Russia and the US have never quite seen eye to eye and the situation has grown worse with the inclusion of the Iranian nuclear factor. The US is the most outspoken critic of President Ahmadinejad’s ambitions to make Iran a nuclear country and suggests that Iran wants to build nuclear weapons. Although Russia haven’t quite been overt about its support for Iran, it has indicated repeatedly that as a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran does have the maturity and legal rights to carry on with its uranium enrichment project for peaceful purposes.
Mr. Putin is also firmly against US constructing new pipelines to carry oil and natural gas from the Caspian Sea. These pipes would bypass the Russian territory and should they be constructed, they would actually rip apart the Russian monopoly on energy deliveries in the region. US and Russia are still skeptical of each other and Iran is actually increasing the gulf between these two superpowers of the world.
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Source: USA Today
