The United States today accused Iran of secretly helping Syria in its efforts to crackdown on demonstrators.
"We believe that there is credible information that Iran is assisting Syria. I'm not going to get into details about that material assistance, but it's of real concern to us," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.
Toner, however, said he said no details about what assistance Iran is providing to the Syrian government.
"I don't have details about what material assistance they're providing the Syrian Government," he said.
"We're troubled by these reports, and we would just say that if Syria is turning to Iran for help, it can't be very serious about real reform," he said.
In a news report, The Wall Street Journal claimed that Iran is are providing Damascus technical assistance to monitor online communication from opposition groups to organise protests.
"We believe that Iran is materially assisting the Syrian government in its efforts to suppress their own people," an Obama administration official was quoted as saying by the paper.
According to the Journal, US officials say they don't see Iran as the driving force behind popular revolts against longtime US allies in the Mideast, and caution they have no concrete evidence that Iran is providing or preparing large-scale financial or military support to opposition elements in Bahrain or Yemen.
"Rather, the White House has worried that protracted political turmoil could provide an opening for additional influence by Tehran, whose nuclear ambitions are a concern to the US and its allies in Europe and the Middle East," the report said.
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