According to the Washington Post, the Obama Administration is accusing the Iranian government of involvement in Syria’s violent crackdown against pro-democracy protesters. The claims were provided by anonymous administration officials.
Among the accusations were that the Iranian government has provided “riot helmets and batons” to the Syrian security forces, and that they deployed trainers to provide details as to how Iran dealt with anti-regime protesters in the wake of the disputed 2009 elections.
Interestingly enough, however, there have been no indications of the Syrian government actually using such equipment in the crackdowns. Instead, most of the serious crackdowns have involved troops, snipers, and tanks rolling into cities full of protesters. Few major protests have seen riot helmet wearing police in any meaningful numbers, and the large death tolls are more a function of the Assad regime’s use of military force instead of riot police tactics.
The Obama Administration has clearly been eager to paint Iran as an opponent in the pro-democracy protests across the region, claiming Iran’s tacit support of Syria while condemning crackdowns in Bahrain is more hypocritical than America’s own tacit support for the Bahrain crackdowns while condemning Syria.
But to the extent the Iranian government is trying to impose a 2009-style reaction on Syria’s crackdown, it has clearly failed. Syria has done very little policing of the protests and has instead relied on overwhelming military might in an attempt to intimidate demonstrators. This hasn’t worked, and Syria may well be keen to listen to Iranian advisers in the wake of what has so far been a largely fruitless crackdown.
Probably just as much as the US 'aided' the crackdown in Bahrain, or more lately the one in Georgia.
It is too late for police tactics in Syria. Assad needs to channel his dad and go the whole Hama.
Wow – those nasty Iranians – oops – but the US is bombing / assisting the bombing of Libya – oops – I forgot – the US is the "new and more powerful Rome" – it can commit war crimes all over this Earth.
Uncle Sam has sent more than riot helmets to Bahrian, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Morocco, Georgia, and on and on, not to mention the places it occupies, Iraq, Afghanista, and nearly Pakistan, ….
Iran again? Yawn…
Maybe we are overestimating their capabilities, like with the USSR. But at least they had nukes – – -seems like folks were harder to scare back then.
I thought we were hypocrites before, but now its off the scale.
Maybe they could share the pie and tell us, which Arab countries are allowed to be free and which must still live under dictatorship?
USA providing the bombs and other killing machinery to Israel for killing the innocent Palestinians.., USA feeding the Muslims Brotherhood and their affiliated terrorist groups in Libya.., USA is providing the Saudi Arabia and Arab Emirates tyrants family with war machinery.., USA selling war machinery to all other dictatorial regime in this world more then any other country.., and USA is the biggest terrorist producer creating mercenariness all over the world by helping ADOLF PRINCE the neo fascist in doing just that.
Excellent example of the kettle calling the pot black. Who does the US think it is to be admonishing anyoone while it carries on war in at least six countries: Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Sudan. Not to mention its proxy in Palestine.