Iran helps Syria identify likely bombers

The Australian -- IRAN has supplied face-recognition technology to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to help it identify and hunt down potential suicide bombers.

The development came as another suicide bomb exploded in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zour yesterday, killing nine people. The device, which injured dozens, was planted in a car park near the local intelligence headquarters, leaving a 2.5m crater.

According to western intelligence sources, cameras linked to a database have been installed in the central squares of Damascus, in one of the capital's main railway stations and at the entrances to the Yarmouk camp for Palestinian refugees. Other cameras were installed at sites in Aleppo, the country's biggest city.

"Damascus and Aleppo are crucial for the regime's survival," said a Western defence source.

"Should these two middle-class Sunni centres, which have stayed largely loyal to Assad, join the overall chaos, the regime would be doomed."

Twin suicide bombings in Damascus on May 10 killed at least 55 people and wounded 372 in the deadliest attacks since the uprising began last year.

Face recognition cameras can match faces to potential suspects. The Iranians used the systems to identify demonstrators in Tehran after contested elections in 2009.

Meanwhile, hopes were rising that talks in Baghdad this week on a deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions could result in concessions from Tehran. Officials from Britain, the US, France, Germany, Russia and China will offer an easing of some sanctions in return for a verifiable agreement to suspend Iran's efforts to enrich uranium to weapons grade.