This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/7046258.stm
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Putin in Iran for landmark visit | Putin in Iran for landmark visit |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Tehran for a historic visit which will include talks on Iran's nuclear standoff with the West. | Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Tehran for a historic visit which will include talks on Iran's nuclear standoff with the West. |
| He has previously visited Gulf Arab states, but his trip marks the first visit to Iran by a Kremlin leader since Stalin's visit in 1943. | |
| He will also be attending a summit of leaders of Caspian Sea states. | He will also be attending a summit of leaders of Caspian Sea states. |
| Mr Putin has brushed aside reports of a plot to assassinate him, which the Iranian government also played down. | Mr Putin has brushed aside reports of a plot to assassinate him, which the Iranian government also played down. |
| The alleged plot, revealed by the Kremlin, prompted Mr Putin's staff to cast doubt on the trip, only for the Russian president to announce that he was not deterred. | The alleged plot, revealed by the Kremlin, prompted Mr Putin's staff to cast doubt on the trip, only for the Russian president to announce that he was not deterred. |
| Nuclear partner | Nuclear partner |
| For the Iranians, this is a crucial visit, the BBC's Jon Leyne reports from Tehran. | For the Iranians, this is a crucial visit, the BBC's Jon Leyne reports from Tehran. |
| They hope Mr Putin will confirm that Russia will complete the Bushehr nuclear reactor being built by Russian engineers. And they want Russian help to fend off new UN sanctions. | They hope Mr Putin will confirm that Russia will complete the Bushehr nuclear reactor being built by Russian engineers. And they want Russian help to fend off new UN sanctions. |
| Of course I am going to Iran Vladimir Putin Iran and Russia uneasy allies 'Plot' overshadows Berlin trip As for Mr Putin, it is not clear quite how much support he is prepared to give Iran in its showdown with the West. | Of course I am going to Iran Vladimir Putin Iran and Russia uneasy allies 'Plot' overshadows Berlin trip As for Mr Putin, it is not clear quite how much support he is prepared to give Iran in its showdown with the West. |
| He will certainly be urging more flexibility from the Iranian government over the nuclear issue and no one should forget the deep legacy of suspicion that exists between Russia and Iran, our correspondent notes. | He will certainly be urging more flexibility from the Iranian government over the nuclear issue and no one should forget the deep legacy of suspicion that exists between Russia and Iran, our correspondent notes. |
| Mr Putin has called for a peaceful resolution of the dispute, urging the international community to show patience in the matter. | Mr Putin has called for a peaceful resolution of the dispute, urging the international community to show patience in the matter. |
| "It is futile to frighten Iran and its people - they are not scared," Mr Putin said before the visit. | "It is futile to frighten Iran and its people - they are not scared," Mr Putin said before the visit. |
| Plot rumours | Plot rumours |
| Russian media had quoted unnamed security sources as saying suicide bombers and kidnappers were plotting to kill Mr Putin in Tehran. | Russian media had quoted unnamed security sources as saying suicide bombers and kidnappers were plotting to kill Mr Putin in Tehran. |
| Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov had told the BBC that such reports were "very serious". | Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov had told the BBC that such reports were "very serious". |
| But on a visit to Germany on Monday, the Russian president told reporters: "Of course I am going to Iran." | But on a visit to Germany on Monday, the Russian president told reporters: "Of course I am going to Iran." |
| "If I listened to what the security services said, I would never leave my home," he added. | "If I listened to what the security services said, I would never leave my home," he added. |
| He is due to meet both Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran's powerful spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. | He is due to meet both Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran's powerful spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. |
| The Caspian summit will bring together the sea's five littoral states - Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. | The Caspian summit will bring together the sea's five littoral states - Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. |
| They are expected to make an announcement on a convention determining a new legal status for the resource-rich body of water, according to the Russian foreign ministry. | They are expected to make an announcement on a convention determining a new legal status for the resource-rich body of water, according to the Russian foreign ministry. |