Dialogue better than sanctions on Iran: Putin

By DPA

Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin justified his recent talks with the Iranian leadership in Tehran as an important contribution towards a peaceful resolution of the nuclear row with Iran during a televised question-and-answer session Thursday.


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“Direct dialogue leads to success faster than a policy of threats and sanctions,” Putin said during a public event organized by state television in Moscow.

Iran was a “very important partner” of Russia in the energy sector, he said.

Putin also addressed secret service reports of a planned assassination attempt against him during the Tehran trip. “That was nothing more than an attempt to halt the visit,” he said.

Russian sources said the information about the assassination plot came from foreign secret services.

Putin met the Iranian leadership in Tehran on Tuesday.

In the annual question-and-answer session, during which ordinary Russian citizens can ask their leader questions by telephone, over the Internet or during live video connections with the Russian regions, Putin again harshly criticized US military policy in Iraq.

“They can shoot, but they can’t establish order,” he said.

Putin demanded a concrete date for US troop withdrawal from Iraq.

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