RUSSIA:Russian president Vladimir Putin has shrugged off rumours of an Iranian assassination plot against him ahead of his arrival in Tehran this morning, when he becomes the first occupant of the Kremlin to visit Iran since Soviet leader Josef Stalin in 1943.
The visit is seen as a sign of Russia's push for greater influence in the Middle East in general, in particular Iran's nuclear stand-off with the West.
The visit comes after talks yesterday in Germany showed a continued cool spell in relations between Berlin and Moscow. After praising the benefits of "speaking openly of differences", the German and Russian leaders did just that, in particular on how best to approach Tehran's nuclear programme.
Western countries, including Germany, favour tougher sanctions against Iran; China and Russia do not.
"We cannot close our eyes to the danger," said German chancellor Angela Merkel of Iran's enrichment programme western leaders fear could be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.
"I emphasise that I am in favour of solving the problem through talks, but we have to be ready to impose sanctions if Iran does not concede."
In Die Welt newspaper, Dr Merkel expressed concern about the repeated Iranian threats to the security of Israel, "which for me as German chancellor is never negotiable".
President Putin countered it was "hopeless" trying to intimidate the Islamic republic, and recommended "patience". "If we have a chance to keep up these direct contacts, then we will do it, hoping for a positive, mutually advantageous result," he said.
"We already have positive examples of this approach, such as North Korea."
Ahead of Mr Putin's visit to Iran, officials in Tehran dismissed as "completely baseless" Russian media speculation that suicide bombers planned to target the Russian leader.
A spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry said the claims were part of a "psychological war" by western countries to disturb good Russian-Iranian relations. Russia is helping the Iranians build a controversial nuclear power plant in the southern regions of the country.
But the Interfax agency, citing high-ranking Russian security services officers, reported that an assassination plot had been uncovered. Mr Putin, allegedly the subject of several such plots in the past, brushed off the claim, saying: "If I reacted to all the threats and recommendations of the security services, then I'd never leave home".
His visit to Tehran, including a meeting with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, coincides with a summit this morning of Caspian Sea nations.
It follows sober bilateral talks in Germany yesterday which were a long way from the back-slapping of the Putin-Schröder era.
With little conviction, Mr Putin told journalists that Germany and Russia were "closer than ever before"; a glassy-eyed Dr Merkel, apparently suffering from a cold, said the bilateral relationship was "filled with life".
In reality, the list of disagreements goes far beyond Iran: most controversial are the concerns expressed by Dr Merkel earlier this year about Russia's democratic development and its human rights record.
Despite concerns and cooler relations, however, German-Russian trade continues to flourish and is worth an estimated €7 billion annually.