Putin Issues Warnings To U.S. Allies

It's possible that he still thinks Russia is a world power. Someone should inform him that very few countries are concerned about Russia's threats. The fact that they align themselves with state-sponsors of terrorism doesn't do much to help the cause. Issuing warnings to former soviet bloc countries doesn't help either.

Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday warned against military action against Iran and backed its right to nuclear energy, during the first visit to the country by a Kremlin chief since World War II. Putin, attending a summit meeting of Caspian Sea states, arrived in the Iranian capital amid heavy security and secrecy over his travel plans after reports a squad of suicide bombers planned to kill him. His visit is of major significance for the Islamic republic at a time of mounting tensions with the West over its atomic drive. Putin met President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and was also to see supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "It is important... that we not only do not use any kind of force but also do not even think about the possibility of using force," Putin told the four other Caspian Sea leaders gathered for the summit. "It is also important that we talk about the impossibility of using our territory for other countries to carry out aggression or military action against other Caspian littoral states."