Putin Meets Iran's Supreme Leader on First Visit in 8 Years
- Iran, Russia back Syrian leader Assad in fight against rebels
- Two countries bolster business ties after Iran's nuclear deal
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Russia and Iran underscored their growing alliance in the Middle East by bolstering business ties and projecting a united front on the civil war in Syria, where both have deployed military power to support President Bashar al-Assad.
“Nobody from outside should impose on the Syrian people any form of government of the state, and who personally should govern it,” Russian President Vladimir Putin, who visited Iran for the first time since 2007 on Monday, said in televised remarks at talks with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Only the Syrian people can decide this.”