I'm John Batcha with my colleagues Anatolee of the Quincy Institute for Responsible

State Craft.

We are stage managing what appears to be a way to tell the story through one man, Sergei Shoy Gu, who was defense minister of the Russian Federation before he was moved into the National Security Council.

He is someone who we're told has been comraderly to Vladimir Putin for quite some time.

Sometimes he's been mentioned as a possible successor.

Right now, his visit to Tehran is a mystery.

On the one hand, you could say it's a sales call.

Tehran says it's interested in S300, maybe even S400 air defense systems.

Tehran has threatened to attack Israel.

Tehran has been doing business with Russia for some time,

having to do with drones.

And yet, Anatole, is there another explanation

for why Shoygu personally had to go to Tehran?

It does look like the two wars are coming together.

Yes, although the public Russian statement has been that Shoygu has gone on behalf of Putin to urge restraint on Iran,

I mean it should be remembered that Russia is still trying, though with increasing

difficulty, to maintain good relations with Israel.

Israel is rather an important economic partner of Russia and I don't think that Putin has good personal relations with Nesaniyahu and I think perhaps

has not altogether given up the hope that Israel might be able to bring unisome influence to bear in Washington on Russia's

behalf to try to bow to compromise peace in Ukraine.

But on the other hand, of course, Russia does very much need Iranian groans and other military supplies for Ukraine.

Now an additional motive therefore for Russia trying to prevent a full-scale war between Iran and Israel is that of

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