There were handshakes between the leaders of Israel and Russia, despite their disagreement over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he was confident President Vladimir Putin understood the upcoming danger from Tehran, after their talks in Moscow.

Olmert said he also called for an embargo on weapons sales to Iran and Syria. Israel believes Hezbollah used Russian weapons sold to it by Syria during the war in Lebanon. And it wants to prevent Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons, after its leaders called for Israel’s destruction. “As the leader of the state,” Prime Minister Olmert said. “I can declare to every country that would like to attack Israel, we shall continue to take all possible measures to defend ourselves.”

Russia has so far used its veto power in the UN Security Council to block efforts to impose sanctions on Iran. It’s receiving hundreds of millions of euros for helping the country to build its first nuclear reactor at Bushehr, which Iran says will make electricity not bombs. But the impasse may soon be over – officials say sanctions could be designed to allow Russia to continue its work on the reactor.

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