Vladimir Putin’s trip to Iran may have been to arrange a bolthole in the event he is forced to flee Russia as a result of his war with Ukraine, his former speechwriter has claimed.
Overnight Putin was seen to have hurried home in a direct flight from Tehran to Moscow.
This followed his bid to seal an anti-Western coalition at a summit with the Iranians and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Yet ex-speech writer Abbas Gallyamov - now living abroad - said the secret purpose of the visit may have been to agree an asylum deal for himself, his family and inner circle if the war and economic misery in Russia turns to revolution.
"When thinking about why Putin went to Iran, keep in mind that this country is by far the best refuge for him to evacuate to - if Russia gets really hot.
“The Russian president is certainly a cautious person and cannot help thinking about an alternative airfield.
“Iran has every chance of being for the Russian ruling class something like Argentina was for the Nazis.
“Or Rostov [in Russia] for the Yanukovych gang.”
This referred to the sanctuary given to ex-president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, after he was ousted in 2014.
“True, the ayatollahs may demand [Putin and his cronies] convert to Islam, but can this be a problem for real Russian patriots?
“After all, the main thing for them is not democracy and not human rights.”
Putin has admitted Western sanctions are causing his country severe problems, and his forces have suffered huge losses in the war he started in Ukraine.
However, there are few major signs of mass dissent in the country, and he claims he is successfully reducing Russian dependency on the West.
Dr Gallyamov, 50, is a political scientist who headed Putin’s speechwriting team when he was prime minister between 2008-10.
He was nicknamed the “Kremlin speechwriter”, and is now located in Israel.
Yesterday Putin appeared "clumsy" as he hobbled down the stairs of his jet while touching down in Tehran before meeting fellow brute, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Putin appears unsteady on his feet and his appearance could further rumours about his ill health, with the warmonger rumoured to have Parkinson's or terminal cancer.
"The man who arrives behind him seems to have no trouble using the steps facing front but Putin turns sideways and takes the last one clumsily," body language expert Judi James told The Mirror.
"This could be down to height or even age but he appears to be making heavy duty of it", she added.
