U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday accused
Iran
of
backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's "vicious assaults" against
pro-democracy protesters.
"
Iran
is
supporting the Assad regime's vicious assaults on peaceful protesters and
military actions against its own cities,"
Clinton
said,
comparing its response to
Iran
's
crackdown on pro-reform protests in 2009.
"Two years ago this week, Iranian citizens went to the polls in the hopes
of expressing their democratic rights. But the authorities in
Tehran
had
no interest in the will of the people," she said.
"When the people reached for their aspirations, the government responded
with brutal repression. Two years later, that repression continues."