Iran backs all Islamic uprisings excluding those stirred up by Washington, said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday. Khamenei's statement means that Tehran has very less support for anti-government protesters in ally Syria, Reuters reported.
"Our stance is clear: wherever a movement is Islamic, popular and anti-American, we support it," Reuters quoted Khamenei as saying.
Honoring the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Khamenei said the leader had made predictions about events in the Middle East over the last few months where Arabs have risen up against repressive regimes.
Non-Arab, largely Shi'ite Muslim Iran savored the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in February, a U.S.-backed secularist who made peace with Israel, the Reuters report said.
Tehran also supported the pro-democracy movements elsewhere in the region, especially Bahrain, where Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates aided the Sunni monarchy Emirates to put down democracy protests led by majority Shi'ite Muslims.
Iran has not yet given any sign of backing for demonstrators in Syria where President Bashar al-Assad is a key regional ally. "If somewhere a movement is provoked by America and Zionists, we will not support it. Wherever America and the Zionists (Israel) enter the scene to topple a regime and occupy a country, we are on the opposite side", Khamenei said. However, he didn't mention Syria by name.
