Is the Supreme Leader Fretting About Syria?

EA Worldview - On Tuesday, the Supreme Leader's office put out a series of Twitter messages about Ayatollah Khamenei's views on the situation in Syria:

Comprehensive observation of developments in Syria, proves that there is an American plan in action....Unfortunately, some foreign countries and countries in MidEast are participating in American plan for Syria....The main purpose of USA's plan in Syria is to harm the resistance movement, & Syria's support of Palestine & Lebanon....If Syria promises America that it will not support resistance in Palestine & Lebanon, all issues will settle down.

To me, this read as more than the standard support for Damascus. With the opposition gaining ground, in political and military terms, and with a growing prospect of international intervention, it seemed the Supreme Leader was getting worried.

But was this, in its English translation, an accurate portrayal of his views? A Twitter stream on Monday from Khamenei's staff had put out the Supreme Leader's message that each Islamic revolution had to follow political, social, and religous paths in the context of each nation --- a different tone than his February 2011 statement, just after the fall of the Mubarak regime in Egypt, "Our Revolution has managed to be inspirational and has set a model." However, when I saw the full English text of Khamenei's message to a youth conference, I could not find a statement putting out this shift.

So this morning I look at Press TV's summary of the Supreme Leader's line on Syria, put out in a meeting with the head of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah:

"The Americans and certain Western countries want to take revenge on Syria for their recent defeats in the region, including Egypt and Tunisia,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Leader stated that Syria's only crime is backing the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance, adding that if Syria promises the US that it will withdraw support for the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance, all problems will be resolved.

Taking a glance at the developments unfolding in Syria, it is clear that the United States has hatched a plot against Syria and “unfortunately, certain foreign and regional countries take part in the plot,” the Leader observed.

Ayatollah Khamenei added, “The main purpose of the United States' plot in Syria is to deal a blow to the resistance front in the region because Syria is supporting the resistance of Palestine and the Islamic resistance of Lebanon.

Regional developments over the past year are the blessings of Almighty God and this is just the beginning and more victories are ahead, the Leader noted.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran's stance toward Syria is to support any kind of reform that would benefit the country's people and oppose the interference of the United States and its allies in Syria's internal affairs,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

That seems to match up with the summary sent out by his office yesterday.

So what are we getting from the Supreme Leader: defiance, concern, or both?

http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2012/2/1/the-latest-from-iran-1-february-is-the-supreme-leader-fretti.html

Photo: Qaddafi, Assad, Khamenei