Putin meets with Iranian leader, touts 'reliable and stable partner'
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the Kremlin on Tuesday and lauded the Persian theocracy as a "good neighbor and reliable and stable partner."
Putin and Rouhani agreed to work together on economic, energy and military issues. The talks come as Putin works to increase Russian influence in the Middle East while Rouhani attempts to show economic progress ahead of Iranian elections in May.
Putin said trade between the countries rose 70% last year. The two sides this week signed more than a dozen agreements on economics, tourism, diplomacy and other issues, the Kremlin said.
"Russia and Iran share many years, if not centuries, of bilateral cooperation," Putin said, adding that Iran and Russia have maintained diplomatic relations for more than 500 years.
Rouhani was similarly ebullient, lauding the bilateral effort in Syria and in combating terrorism. "Our ultimate goal is strengthening peace and stability in the region," he said.
Ties between the two countries have drawn closer in recent years, in large part because of Syria. Russia and Iran both back the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad against U.S.-backed rebels, whose fortunes have waned in recent months.
The brutal, six-year Syrian war has crucial implications for Russia, which holds its sole Middle East base in that country. Last year, however, Iran allowed Russia to use the Hamadan Airbase to launch attacks against militants in Syria.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that his nation has agreed to allow Russia to use Iranian military bases for airstrikes on a “case-by-case basis," Reuters reported.
Iran, the world's most populous Shiite Muslim nation, is closely linked to the Shiite-dominated Syrian government in its fight against the Sunni-led rebels.
Economic gains are crucial for Rouhani, who braved fierce attacks from conservatives in his own government for the historic nuclear deal signed with the West that eased economic sanctions in return for Iran reducing stockpiles of enriched uranium and its capacity to enrich more.
Russia has become an important technology partner, scheduled to build or revamp several nuclear reactors in Iran and providing vital arms to Tehran's military.
The wild card could be the Trump administration. President Trump and Putin have sent signals that the U.S. and Russia could grow closer. But Trump has shown Iran only venom, and Tehran would face tighter U.S. sanctions over ballistic missile launches and other non-nuclear activities under a bill unveiled last week by a bipartisan group of senators.