U.S. Says Iran Helps Crackdown in Syria

ran is secretly helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad put down
pro-democracy demonstrations, according to U.S. officials, who say
Tehran is providing gear to suppress crowds and assistance blocking
and monitoring protesters' use of theCheap Rosetta Stone
Internet, cellphones and text
-messaging.
At the same time, communications intercepted by U.S. spy agencies
show Tehran is actively exploring ways to aid some Shiite hardliners
in Bahrain and Yemen and destabilize longstanding U.S. allies there,
say U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence. Such moves could
challenge interests of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia and inflame
sectarian tensions across the Middle East, they say.

"We believe that Iran is materially assisting the Syrian government
in its efforts to suppress their own people," said an Obama
administration official.

U.S. officials say they don't see Iran as the driving force behind
popular revolts against longtime U.S. 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 U.S. and its allies in
Europe and the Middle East.

So far, an administration official said, Iranian "aspirations far
outpace their ability to project their influence into these places."
By disclosing intelligence about Iranian involvement, the U.S.
appears to be trying to put Tehran on notice that it is under close
surveillance in Washington. "We're keeping an eye on these
activities," another Obama administration official said.

The U.S. disclosures also appear designed to help soothe anxious
Arab and Israeli allies, who have privately complained that
President Barack Obama, in his enthusiasm to embrace popular
uprisings, is paying scant attention to how the revolts could play
into the hands of their regional nemesis, Iran. By voicing concerns
about Iran's activities, the U.S. appears to be trying to close
ranks, at least in part, with Saudi and Bahraini leaders whose
warnings about Tehran's influence in their internal affairs have
long been played down in Washington.

Iranian diplomats didn't immediately respond to requests for
comment.

Some U.S. officials have expressed surprise that Shiite-dominated
Iran hasn't intervened more aggressively to support Mr. Assad and
Shiites in Bahrain. Officials said they believed Iran has secretly
promised more help to Mr. Assad if the protests intensify.

U.S. officials believe Iran's recent support for Mr. Assad reflects
Tehran's concerns about losing a critical regional ally and military
partner against Israel.

So far, officials said, Iran has begun transferring to Damascus
equipment to help security forces put down protests. This includes
providing Syrian authorities withCheap Rosetta Stone Arabic
equipment, advice and technical
know-how to help curtail and monitor internal communications,
including the email and online postings that opposition groups
commonly use to organize their protests and report security
excesses, officials said. Some deliveries have been made and others
are believed to be in the works, they said.

Iran is also sharing "lessons learned" from its 2009 crackdown on
protesters who demanded the removal of Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, the officials said. "These guys know the best practice
in this kind of situation—they've had lots of experience in this
sphere," a U.S. defense official said of the Iranians.

"The Syrians don't want to see a Green Revolution in their country,"
the defense official added, referring to the protest movement in
Iran. "The Iranians are ready to help."

Any aid to Mr. Assad could signal an escalation of sectarian proxy
battles in the region, one the U.S. has sought to avert.

The Obama administration repeatedly pressed Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia
and Bahrain not to use force against largely Shiite protesters,
according to U.S. officials, fearing that would provide Iran with an
excuse to start meddling in Bahrain and elsewhere in the Middle
East. Under Tehran's religious code, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei has an obligation to protect the rights of Shiites world-
wide. "We told them not to use force because it would provide Iran
with an excuse," a senior U.S. official said. "They didn't listen."

Last month, Saudi Arabia sent troops into neighboring Bahrain to
support the island kingdom's ruling al-Khalifa family against
protesters.

The U.S. is concerned large-scale solidarity protests could break
out in Iraq, whose Shiite majority has close religious ties to
Bahrain's Shiites. That could complicate U.S. plans for withdrawing
troops this year. The U.S. has long accused Iran of providing
weapons, funding and training to anti-American militants in Iraq and
to the Taliban in Afghanistan, as well as to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The latest U.S. assessment is based on intelligence that includes
intercepted communications among Iranian officials as well as
between Iranian officials and Bahraini and Yemeni opposition
figures. Military officials describe intercepted "chatter" in which
Iranian officials have talked of the possibility of shipping cash,
weapons or both to opposition elements in both countries.

A U.S. defense official said Iranian policy makers are seriously
debating how much aid, if any, to provide to Bahrain's opposition.
Another U.S. official said some intelligence indicated that Iran has
made small-scale transfers of money and light weapons—"a few dozen
guns, maybe less, definitely not more"—into Bahrain. Much of the
intelligence suggests Iran and Hezbollah were focused now on using
propaganda to assert influence among restive Shiites.

Other Iranian officials appear content to let Bahrain's leaders
become more repressive, which the defense official said is "probably
more effective at getting people riled up against the king" than
anything Tehran could do.

The Bahraini and Yemeni governments have long claimed Iran is
meddling in their internal affairs, an issue they know could alarm
their U.S. counterparts.

U.S. intelligence agencies have long been skeptical of such claims.
But last week, after talks in Riyadh, Defense Secretary Robert Gates
said the U.S. has unspecified "evidence" of Iranian interference in
Bahrain and elsewhere.

Shiite political leaders in Bahrain say that while they have
cultural and religious connections to Iran, they aren't seeking help
or guidance from abroad. They say accusations of Iranian involvement
are designed to deflect their demands for democratic reforms and to
justify Bahrain's widescale detention of suspected protest
organizers, which the government has said it suspects of ties to
Iran or its ally, Hezbollah.

"Bahraini Shia are very aware of how they're paying the price for
Iran's growing power in the region," said Nabeel Rajab, president of
the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. "They know to keep their
distance."

To keep a lid on tensions in Bahrain, which is home to the U.S.
Navy's Fifth Fleet, the White House has encouraged protesters to
negotiate with the king, rather than seek his ouster.

In Yemen, the U.S. has shifted from supporting President Ali
Abdullah Saleh to backing talks aimed at easing him fromCheap Rosetta Stone Chinese
power.

Last year, the U.S. picked up intelligence showing Iran had provided
a small amount of support to Yemen's Houthi rebels, which have
fought against Saudi and Yemeni forces, although officials say their
knowledge is limited because of a lack of U.S. intelligence sources
in the area.

The Houthis, who aren't part of the political opposition demanding
Mr. Saleh's removal, have stayed quiet in their home region during
the past two months of upheaval. The Houthis follow a minor offshoot
of Shiism that isn't the same as the version practiced in Iran.