Iran Slams as 'Baseless' EU Sanctions on Guards

Iran rejected Monday as "baseless" new EU sanctions targeting the al-Quds wing of the elite Revolutionary Guards which the European Union accuses of aiding the Syrian crackdown on protesters.

"We deny having any role in the internal affairs of that country (Syria)," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said according to a statement received by Agence France Presse.

"Linking the incidents in Syria to the al-Quds forces of the Revolutionary Guards without any proof or evidence is baseless," he said.

"As we have repeatedly stressed, the Syrian people and government are politically and socially mature and are capable of solving their own problems," Mehmanparast added.

On Wednesday, the EU named the al-Quds force, along with five Syrian generals and the military intelligence network in Damascus, on a new list of those sanctioned for their role in quelling popular protests in Syria.

The European Union accused the force of providing "technical assistance, equipment and support to the Syrian security services to repress civilian protest movements."

The United Nations says more than 2,200 people have been killed in Syria since anti-regime protests erupted in mid-March.

Mehmanparast accused the European Union of "double-standards" and said by slapping sanctions on Iran it was "seeking to divert public opinion from human rights violation committed by EU-backed regimes in the region."

In an earlier round of sanctions in June, the EU imposed sanctions on three Revolutionary Guard commanders, including its chief Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Jafari, accusing them of aiding the crackdown in Syria.

Tehran has supported the protests in all Arab countries except Syria, its main Arab ally, where the Islamic republic backs the government of President Bashar al-Assad, while asking him to implement some reforms.

"A government should answer to the demands of its people, be it Syria, Yemen or other countries," Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Saturday.

On August 24, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had also called on the Syrian government to find a "solution" with the protestors, as violence only "serves the interests of the Zionists."

Meanwhile, Iran accuses arch-foes Israel and the United States of trying to undermine the regime in Syria.