Russia torn

As US President George W Bush comes up with strong statements on Iran and Syria, Russia has moved to boost its ties with both Middle Eastern nations. On Monday, Bush urged Iran to halt its nuclear program and told Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon. Yet despite US concerns, and in an apparent affront to Washington, Russia insists on pursuing its nuclear-energy cooperation with Tehran, and its security ties with Damascus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the visiting secretary of the Iranian National Security Council, Hasan Rouhani, at a meeting in Moscow on Friday that Russia would continue nuclear-energy collaboration with Tehran. Putin also accepted an invitation to visit Tehran this year.

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