The State Department has sharply criticized Iran for supporting Syria’s violence against civilians, blasting Tehran for aiding the country’s fourteen-month crackdown on dissidents.

On Tuesday, May 29, State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland highlighted similarities between the countries’ techniques to suppress civil rights, saying that “the Iranians have clearly provided support and training and advice to the Syrian army.”

“Over the weekend, we had the deputy head of [Iran’s] Quds Force saying publicly that they were proud of the role that they had played in training and assisting the Syrian forces, and look what this has wrought,” Nuland said, referring to Iran’s remarks following an army-led massacre which claimed over one-hundred lives in Syria.

The international community has repeatedly criticized Iran for supporting Syria’s crackdown. On May 16, Reuters reported that the U.N. Security Council had uncovered at least three Iranian weapons shipments to Syria over the past year.