Russian 'czar' back in Tehran

Russian President Vladimir Putin has come to Tehran on a trip that has attracted the attention of Iranian media and has been covered as the top story online and on the front pages of newspapers worldwide.

Labeling Putin the "new czar of Russia," the Reformist Shargh daily wrote Nov. 1, “Perhaps Putin owes this [title] to getting his country out of a situation that resembles to many Russians the turbulence of the 1990s and reviving Russia as a superpower in the world.”

Mentioning Putin's trip to Iran, Shargh wrote, “He is the guest of Tehran for the third time, along with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Although Putin’s [trip] has been announced as part of the trilateral summit in Tehran, the Republic of Azerbaijan and Moscow, it is undoubtedly an important point in the relationship between the two countries.”

Shargh continued, “Not long ago the Tehran-Moscow relationship was not very good; meanwhile, under the presidency of Hassan Rouhani, the two presidents have met each other nine times.”