Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared poised to cancel his first trip to Iran following reports about a possible assassination attempt. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Tehran that he couldn't confirm that Putin would arrive in the Iranian capital late Monday as earlier scheduled. «There is no information that the visit is still planned,» Peskov told The Associated Press. He refused to elaborate, but the statement was a strong signal that Putin may cancel his visit. Just a few hours before, Peskov said that Putin's plan to arrive on Monday evening still held. Iran's Foreign Ministry also said earlier Monday that Putin's visit was still scheduled. Russia's Interfax news agency, citing a source in Russia's special services, said Sunday that suicide terrorists had been trained to carry out the assassination in Iran. Putin, who was in Germany Monday for a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, was asked about the assassination reports when he arrived late Sunday but did not answer, merely waving his hand and telling reporters: «Later.»
