Ahmadinejad slams Medvedev for siding with Iran’s enemies

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused Dmitry Medvedev of being a “spokesman” for the “enemies of Iran.”

Although he claimed Russia's recent statements on Iran's nuclear program were “an advert for America's propaganda drama,” Ahmadinejad admitted that Tehran still wants to continue its friendship with Moscow.

Russia and Iran have long been political and economic partners. However, Moscow has recently backed US-proposed sanctions against Iran prompted by concerns that Tehran may be attempting to develop nuclear weapons.

Vladimir Sotnikov from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow believes that, despite the harsh comments towards Russia, the Kremlin too would like to keep its ties with Tehran.

“I don’t think that Russian-Iranian relations will deteriorate significantly, because we still have very big cooperation with our Iranian partner,” Sotnikov said.

Leonid Gusev from the Moscow State University of International Relations believes that Ahmadinejad’s comments are a way to win the favor of the radical population of Iran.

"I think that behind such aggressive rhetoric there is Ahmadinejad's desire to unite the section of the Iranian society he relies on,” Gusev said. “This section is not conservative but rather militaristic. And Ahmadinejad doesn't reject any tools to reach his goals.”