Iran considers the anti-government demonstrations taking place across Syria which have seen at least 300 protesters killed part of a plot by the West to undermine a "resistance"-supporting government led by Bashar al-Assad, Beirut based
The Daily Star reported Tuesday.
According to The Daily Star, while Iran was quick to laud anti-regime
demonstrations in countries like Tunisia or Egypt, both considered
western-backed, the government in Tehran was slow in issuing comments on
the Syrian situation.
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At his weekly news conference, the Iranian regime's spokesperson said
that the Syrian protests are a result of foreign interference.
The spokesperson went on to blame "Americans and Zionists" for partaking
in the "mischievous act" of inciting anti-government sentiment among
Syrians, the
Daily Star reported, adding "no one should be fooled by
this trick that Americans are playing.”
Iran has a record of violently suppressing opposition protests occurring
in its own country. Two people were shot in February in the first move
of the anti-government group in Iran to stage mass demonstrations since
the rallies that broke out and were put down by the Iranian regime in
2009 following Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinjead's re-election.
In March, Assad himself implied Israeli interests as a factor in the recent protests against him in Syria, saying
"Our enemies’ aim was to divide Syria as a
country and force an Israeli agenda onto it, and they will continue to
try and try again.”
Israel has blamed both Iran and Syria for supporting and Hezbollah, and for helping smuggle weapons to both groups.