The White House said on Wednesday that it is hard to suggest that Iran is playing a positive role in the Syrian crisis.

White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters that "one would be hard pressed to plausibly suggest that it has been a constructive role -- we are focused on working with the international community and international partners who want to play a constructive role in resolving the situation in Syria." "We are working very closely, obviously, with Kofi Annan. We are in regular consultations with the Russians and others about the steps we need to take to build a consensus around the idea of a transition for which time is running short," he added.

United Nations envoy Kofi Annan concluded a visit to Damascus and Tehran, while the U.S. refuses including Iran in the talks about the future of Syria due to its support to the regime. Carney noted that U.S. interest is in "an outcome that gives the Syrian people the best chance for a brighter future. We believe very strongly that President Assad has no place in that transition because he long ago lost all credibility he might have had and any claim to be a participant in a transition to a democratic future for Syria".

"I think that we have seen increasingly evidence that Assad is being isolated -- both his regime internationally, but internally we have seen defections at a very high level, including from his inner circle. We have seen progress on the international front in terms of building a consensus, including announcements out of Moscow", he added.

Carney said that "countries in the region have interests in the region. I think Iran's role has not been productive or helpful. Our interest is in working with nations that want to see stability in Syria, want to see an end to the bloodshed, and want to see a democratic future for the Syrian people."