Gibbs: White House may reevaluate position if Iran escalates

The Obama administration might reevaluate its stance toward Iran if the violent crackdowns on dissidents were to escalate, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.

“Well, obviously, we are watching the events each and every day here at the White House,” Gibbs said during his appearance on Fox News.

The White House spokesman said that if an escalation were to take place along the lines of China’s Tiananmen Square Massacre — an event to which Republicans critical of President Obama have compared the Iranian protests — then the administration would take another look at their stance.

“Obviously, if a tremendous escalation happened — if tanks happened — obviously, we would evaluate that immediately,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs, in a spate of television appearances this morning, defended the administration’s measured statements and involvement in the Iranian presidential elections.

Some members of the GOP have urged Obama to show more active support for Iranian dissidents who have taken to the streets of Iran since the ruling regime declared hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the victor in his reelection bid, despite reports of election irregularities.