...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...said on Tuesday that Iran had a right to a peaceful nuclear program but slammed as "unacceptable" its threats against its regional nemesis Israel.
"Iran is in a very difficult region," Putin told a televised question-and-answer session in Moscow.
"And when we hear threats from Iran against its neighbors, particularly Israel, when we hear from Iran that Israel must be destroyed -- I think this is completely unacceptable."
Putin appeared to be referring to comments made over the years by Iran's outgoing President
Mahmoud Short RoundAhmadinejad, who will stand down when his second terms expires shortly after Friday's national election.
Russia is a close trading partner with Iran and supplies the Islamic Theocratic
Republicwith weapons and has built its first nuclear reactor near the Gulf city of Bushehr.
But Moscow in recent years has taken a more stern line with Tehran that includes a demand for it to cooperate with United Nations
...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society...
nuclear inspectors.