Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Iran should be allowed to pursue its nuclear program for peaceful purposes. He said this during his visit to Tehran for the summit of Caspian Sea nations.

Vladimir Putin said "The Iranians are cooperating with Russian nuclear agencies and the main objectives are peaceful objectives."

Russia is building Iran's first nuclear power plant and has resisted moves by the U.S. and its allies to impose stronger U.N. sanctions against Tehran.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said "all options" must be kept "on the table" even military action

"We should have no illusions about the nature of this regime or its leaders -- about their designs for their nuclear program , their willingness to live up to their rhetoric, their intentions for Iraq, or their ambitions in the Gulf region," Gates said in a speech to the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.

The leaders of Iran , Russia , Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan also met today to reach agreement on issues relating to the sharing and regulating of the Caspian Sea. Putin's position on this subject was that no Caspian nation should offer its territory to third parties intent on military action against other countries in the region. A reference that the U.S wanted to use Azerbaijan as base for attacks on Iran.

"We are saying that no Caspian nation should offer its territory to third powers for use of force or military aggression against any Caspian state," he said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad added "The Caspian Sea is an inland sea and it only belongs to the Caspian states, therefore only they are entitled to have their ships and military forces here."