The official statement of Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran was entirely related to Syria, but his former speech preparer says the visit may have been aimed at reaching an agreement to secure him asylum in case russia collapsed from revolting Russian protests.
Putin arrived in Tehran yesterday on his second international trip since the invasion of Ukraine in February. He met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also met with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.
Ending a major blockade of grain exports from Ukraine's ports was on the agenda, along with Syria's future and Putin's bid for an anti-Western coalition.
But Putin's former speech preparer Abbas Gallyamov, now living outside Russia, suggested there was a motive and secret agenda in Putin's visit. He said Putin may have been there to agree to an asylum deal for himself, his family and his close circle if war and economic misery in Russia turn into an internal revolution.
"When you think about why Putin went to Iran, keep in mind that this country is the best shelter for him to evacuate if the situation erupts in Russia," Dr Gallyamov said.
"The Russian president is certainly a careful person and cannot help but think of an alternative airport. Iran has all the chances of being for the Russian ruling class, as Argentina was for the Nazis.
Putin has acknowledged that Western sanctions are causing his country serious problems and his forces have suffered major losses in the war he began in Ukraine. However, there are few major signs of mass dissent in the country, and he claims to be successfully reducing Russian dependence on the West.
Dr Gallyamov, 50, is a political scholar who led Putin's speechwriting team when he was prime minister between 2008-10. He was nicknamed the "Kremlin speechwriter" and is now based in Israel.