Iran Repeats Opposition to Any Military Action in Syria

Iran reaffirmed Saturday its opposition to any military intervention in Syria, after an international conference suggested sending an Arab force to Tehran's ally to subdue ongoing bloodshed.

Iran "rejects any kind of military intervention in Syrian affairs," a foreign ministry statement said.

Tehran also "denies rumors of (its) sending arms and militarily intervening in Syria as a sheer lie," as charged by the West.

Iran "condemns any kind of violence and (deems it) contrary to human rights principles and humanitarian rights," the statement added without explicitly referring to Bashar Assad regime's crackdown.

It added that Tehran "always backs of any kind of reforms that benefit the people of this nation."

The statement comes a day after an attempt to end the bloodshed in Syria was discussed at a "Friends of Syria" meeting in Tunisia.

Tunisia and Qatar have called for the creation of such an Arab force, while Saudi Arabia has suggested arming the Syrian opposition.

Tehran has strongly supported the regime in Damascus, backing Assad's promised reforms while failing to criticize his repression of pro-democracy protests that monitors say has killed more than 7,600 people since unrest erupted in March 2011.

Iran has accused arch nemesis Israel and the West of encouraging the Syrian opposition to overthrow Assad in order to weaken the anti-Israeli front which includes Syria, Iran and Hizbullah.

On Tuesday, close advisor to Iran's supreme leader and former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati reiterated that Tehran "will continue to support the Syrian government and opposes those who act against it."

He also said the Syrian regime "will not fall" despite its growing international isolation.