Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Tehran on Wednesday for a day of meetings with his Iranian and Azerbaijani counterparts.

After meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Putin expressed strong support for the Iran nuclear deal.

"We oppose any unilateral change in the multilateral nuclear deal," Putin said according to a statement from the supreme leader's office. "We oppose linking Iran's nuclear program with other issues including defensive issues."

Praising Putin's "strong" character, Khamenei said it was "possible to have logical dialogue and cooperation with Russia as a big power about big jobs that require determination and effort."

"Iranian and Russian cooperation has had a great impact in fighting terrorism in the region," Rouhani said, according to a statement from his office. "The joint cooperation and consultations are very important in the final stages too."

The talks between Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia largely focused on improving road and rail links to the neighboring countries on the Caspian Sea.

Read more: Doing business with Iran: no easy choice

Fight against IS winding down

"We are very pleased that, apart from our bilateral relations, our two countries play an important role in securing peace and stability in the region," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told Putin during his opening remarks for the official visit.

With the fight against the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group winding down after US-backed forces liberated Raqqa, international attention has shifted once again to a political solution for Syria's nearly seven-year conflict.

Read more: 'Islamic State': Will it survive a post-caliphate future?

Both Tehran and Moscow back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and coordinate trilateral de-escalation talks with Turkey in the Kazakh capital of Astana. Even the UN's chief negotiator Staffan de Mistura has described a "moment of truth" for the peace process after IS' defeat.

'Sanctions pressure'

Last month, US President Donald Trump refused to certify a nuclear deal that has curbed Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the international community dropping sanctions. He also announced new sanctions against Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, accusing it of "supporting terrorism."

"Today sanctions are a tool Washington resorts to in the first place. That means, by and large, the substantial degradation of the basic principles of foreign policy," said Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, according to the state-run news agency TASS.

"Perhaps, that's the object. The US has always been 'famous' for its ability to pursue the policy of controlled crises and teeter on the brink of crises escalating into a hot phase."

The different faces of Vladimir Putin From KGB to Kremlin Putin joined the KGB, the former Soviet Union's security agency, in 1975. In the 1980s he undertook his first foreign posting as a KGB agent to Dresden, Germany. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Putin returned to Russia and entered Boris Yeltsin's Kremlin. When Yeltsin announced that he wanted Putin as his successor, the way was paved for him to become prime minister.

The different faces of Vladimir Putin First presidency On his appointment, Putin was virtually unknown to the general public. This changed when in August 1999 armed men from Chechnya invaded the neighboring Russian territory of Dagestan. President Yeltsin appointed ex-KGB officer Putin to bring Chechnya back under the central government's control. On New Year's Eve, Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and named Putin as acting president.

The different faces of Vladimir Putin Tough guy in the media During an exhibition hockey game in Sochi, Putin’s team won 18-6, with the president scoring eight goals.

The different faces of Vladimir Putin Limited freedom of speech A protester wears a tape over his mouth reading "Putin" during an opposition rally. In 2013 the Kremlin announced that the state-owned news agency, RIA Novosti, was to be restructured and placed under the control of a pro-Kremlin figure known for his extreme anti-Western views. Reporters without Borders ranked Russia as 148 in its list of 178 countries in terms of press freedom.

The different faces of Vladimir Putin Putin's Image: A man of action Putin's image as a man of action, boosted by his having been a KGB spy, has long been part of his appeal in Russia. It is carefully maintained by means of photos where he is seen bare-chested on horseback, or tossing opponents onto a judo mat. In Russia, Putin has earned praise for restoring stability but has also been accused of authoritarianism.

The different faces of Vladimir Putin Stifling democracy When President Putin's United Russia party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in 2007, critics described the vote as neither free nor democratic. Dozens were detained as riot police broke up protests by demonstrators accusing President Putin of stifling democracy. In this rally the poster reads: "Thank you, no!"

The different faces of Vladimir Putin Orchestrated events In Sevastopol, Crimea, Putin looks through the window of a research bathyscaphe in the waters of the Black Sea. This dive in a mini-submarine was only one of his adventurous stunts; he has also been seen tranquilizing wild tigers and flying with endangered cranes. It was also aimed at cementing his image as an adventurer, and demonstrating his control of the annexed territory of Crimea. Author: Nadine Berghausen



ls/jm(Reuters, dpa)