What did Vladimir Putin hope to achieve as he stood side by side with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Teheran yesterday?

 Photo: AFP

Certainly the visit was a boost to Ahmadinejad. Ever since Russia – believed by many in Tehran to be Iran’s only major international ally - backed a UN Security Council resolution censuring Iran and imposing mild sanctions last March, Iran has been dangerously isolated internationally. Now, it seems, the relationship is back on track – and, crucially, Iran is a degree more confident that thanks to Russia’s veto on the Security Council, there will be no further tightening of sanctions.

That diplomatic boost for Ahmadinejad sounds like a loss for Washington. Indeed, when George Bush hosted Putin at the family estate at Kennebunkport, Maine, this summer, much of the talk was on Iran and persuading Putin to continue his support for UN sanctions. At the time Putin agreed that Iran should be prevented from developing nuclear weapons. Yet yesterday Putin confirmed at a press conference in Tehran that Iran also had the right to "pursue its civilian nuclear power projects." That’s actually something not even the United States denies – but the symbolism of Putin coming to Iran’s defense was significant.

So what changed? In many ways, Putin’s visit was really about Russia’s relationship with Washington, not about its relations with Iran. From Putin’s point of view, Russia’s relationship with Tehran is a vital diplomatic bargaining chip, to be swapped for concessions from the Americans. And, as US policy in Iraq becomes increasingly geared towards preventing Iran from becoming dominant in the region, it’s a bargaining chip of great value.

Russia, if it wants to, can pull the plug on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and its ability to defend itself at any time. Russia is currently building Iran’s only nuclear power station a Bushehr, on the Persian Gulf, which forms the sole justification for Iran’s program to enrich nuclear fuel. If work on Bushehr is cancelled, Tehran has no fig leaf to cover its pursuit of uranium, forcing a dangerous political choice on Iran’s leadership between continuing with the enrichment program and risking full rogue state status, or suspending it along with the reactor. Bushehr is due to be finished by the end of next year, but Moscow has been using delaying tactics in order to extract maximum political leverage. Construction work was recently suspended, allegedly over payment problems. But the reality is that Russia wants Bushehr to use nuclear fuel provided by Moscow – in line with IAEA demands – rather than from Iran’s own enrichment program.