Khamenei aide: Toppling Assad “red line” for Iran
Khamenei aide: Toppling Assad “red line” f… JPost – Middle East.
DUBAI – A senior aide to Iran’s supreme leader warned against the overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad, saying his fate was a “red line”, in one of the Islamic state’s strongest messages of support for the Damascus government.
Iran has steadfastly backed Assad’s rule since an uprising against his rule began almost two years ago and regards him as an important part of the axis of opposition against arch-foe Israel.
“If the Syrian President Bashar Assad is toppled, the line of resistance in the face of Israel will be broken,” Ali Akbar Velayati, who is seen as a potential contender in Iran’s June presidential election, said in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
“We believe that there should be reforms emanating from the will of the Syrian people, but without resorting to violence and obtaining assistance from the (United States of) America,” he told Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen satellite television.
Asked if Iran sees Assad as a red line, Velayati said: “Yes, it is so. But this does not mean that we ignore the Syrian people’s right in choose its own rulers.”
More than 60,000 people have died in the uprising against Assad, part of the Arab Spring protests that have swept aside four heads of state since 2011.
Iran, a regional Shi’ite Muslim power which backs Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, describes many Syrian opposition groups as “terrorists” who are backed by Western and Arab states. Assad follows an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam.
Velayati blamed what he called “reactionary” Arab states for the violence in Syria and singled out Qatar, accusing it of bringing in fighters from Somalia and Afghanistan to help topple Assad.
Velayati said all parties linked to the crisis in Syria needed to negotiate.
“Anyone who comes to the talks cannot negotiate on the table and support the armed elements, but must enter the negotiations and stop supporting the armed elements,” he added.
The Islamic Republic has sought international backing for its six-point plan to resolve the Syrian conflict. The plan calls for an immediate end to violence and negotiations between all parties to form a transitional government, but does not call for Assad to step down.
WarSclerotic 
January 20, 2013 at 4:21 PM
Wonderful iranian strategy: stick with Assad, boys, go on!
January 20, 2013 at 7:13 PM
The Khamenei and his aide knows, that is a matter of time that a similar revolt will hapen in Iran. They are next in line. Then they will use his red line for wathever he wants.
January 21, 2013 at 4:31 AM
There it is! We found the red line! The Iranians have it now. I always suspected it would enventually end up on the other side. Now let’s see how far we can push the Iranians before that elusive red line moves yet again. Maybe it will end up in China or Russia. Who knows? You can bet it won’t end up in Obummer’s hands again.
January 21, 2013 at 4:36 AM
Sorry…’enventually’ should be ‘eventually’. Having computer problems. Seems there’s a short circuit between the keyboard and the chair.
January 21, 2013 at 10:56 AM
If Assad falls, Iran can do nothing about it.
If they try and send in troops they will be dragged into a war, they cannot win.
This would turn into Sunni/Arab vs Shia/Persian war.
Actually ths is the best thing that could happen for the west.
Let the factions of islam consume each other in a big endless war.
The only thing we should do is secure the chemical weapons.
Otherwise we should stay out and make sure that no side gets the upper hand by selling weapons to both sides accordingly.
Let the snake eat itself.
Of course we should support Israel to have the edge in case the snake turns south.
This idiot can talk all he want. I just say: Go ahead and do it.
As the Arab writer of this opinion piece put it “Iran will open the gate of hell on itself and will be in the midst of a hostile environment like it has never known or seen before”
http://www.arabnews.com/iran-ambassador-lebanon-dinner-diplomacy
January 21, 2013 at 6:41 PM
It’s long overdue that Iran actually gets into the fight. Let’s see what they’re made of. Let’s see what they can do instead of their surrogates. We’re waiting…….