Russia Maintains Cooperation with Tehran Despite US and Israel

"Soft" revolutions backed by the West in the former Soviet republics reportedly push the Moscow administration to make closer cooperation with Syria and Iran.

Despite increasing pressure from the US administration, Russian continues to develop its relations with Syria and Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russians believed that Iran was not trying to develop weapons of mass destruction and added that he plans to visit Tehran in the near future. snip

Pointing the "industrial and military" areas for cooperation, Putin's making such an attempt just before his meeting with the US President George W. Bush on Thursday (February 24) seems noteworthy. Russian observers expect fierce debates during the summit on the issues of Iranian nuclear program and "soft revolutions" occurring in some former Soviet republics in particular. Moscow considering Washington's pressures towards the Iranian issues apparently insists on its own policies now. Despite insistent negative reactions of Israel and US, Russia also prepares to sell weapons of air defense system to Syria. Meanwhile, additional protocol between Tehran and Moscow on the fuel return used in the nuclear plant that is being constructed in the Iranian city, Busehr, will be signed in late February.

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