Moscow — The presidents of Russia and Iran promised Monday to increase trade in weapons and cooperation in nuclear energy in defiance of U.S. efforts to discourage their nations' blossoming ties.
Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami also spoke out against foreign involvement in the energy-rich Caspian Sea area an implicit criticism of U.S. interest in the region.
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami accepts a book from Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Moscow. The book was written by Khatami and published in Russia. Khatami and Putin on Monday signed the first broad cooperation agreement between Moscow and Tehran since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.
"Our region more than at any time in the past needs calm and stability. ... Any alien presence may undermine the stability," Khatami said at the start of the Kremlin talks.
"Iran is a key country in the region," Putin said after he and Khatami signed the first broad cooperation agreement between Moscow and Tehran since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. "Our assessments of the situation in the region and the world coincide to a large degree."
No agreements on arms sales were signed, but Putin pledged to provide Tehran with weapons despite strong U.S. protests. For years, Moscow's military cooperation with Tehran has caused concern in Washington, which accuses Iran of sponsoring terrorists.
"We believe that Iran has the right to ensure its security and defend itself," Putin said.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said it was unclear what weapons would be traded between the two countries, or even what constitutes "defensive systems."
"It's up to the Russians and the Iranians to specify in more detail what they may or may not be doing. But this is an issue of great concern to us, and particularly to this administration," he said Monday.
Administration officials are mainly concerned about the sale of "advanced conventional weapons or sensitive technologies, things like nuclear missile technology," Boucher said.
"We think it's particularly counterproductive for the Russians to sell things in their neighborhood in areas that affect us as well that might threaten us all," he said.
Sergei Ivanov, the secretary of Putin's Security Council, was scheduled to meet Wednesday with his U.S. counterpart, Condoleezza Rice. Secretary of State Colin Powell was expected to meet with him also.
Iran's ambassador to Moscow said recently that Tehran could buy up to $7 billion worth of Russian weapons in coming years, making it a leading customer for Russia's ailing defense industry.
Putin said that Russia would only provide Iran with "defensive" weapons, adding that such sales wouldn't violate international agreements.
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