Iran/Russia, What is the deal?

I have been following the issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions over the last month or two and have found something a bit odd. We hear Russia in the news via Lavrov and others closing ranks with the US and saying things like Iran should not enrich Urainium, and at the same time saying things like, they do not approve of sanctions or military action. So tell me then, with Iran's complete defiance and unwillingness to acquiesce to the international community. What exactly do countries like Russia and China think we should do? We know they favor negotiations, but we also know that they are seeing and hearing the same actions and tone out of Iran that we and everyone else are. So how can they think that talking, talking and more talking will be effective? In my mind there is something majorly fishy about this whole thing. I know this is far fetched, and no I do not where a tinfoil hat on the weekends, but it almost appears as if the Russians and/or the Chinese are at the very least indifferent and at the very worst complicit in allowing Iran to develope WMD's. The question you have to then ask is why? I will try and answer that one in a future post because it will take some research, but think about this for now. Who are China and Russia's largest global competitors? What could those two countries stand to gain by a Nuclear armed Iran?