In just his third interview with western media since the start of the Syrian uprising, Bashar al-Assad blames the U.S. for fueling outrage against his regime:

German public broadcaster ARD quoted Bashar Assad as saying that America is partnering with those “terrorists … with weapons, money or public and political support at the United Nations.”

Assad was further quoted as saying that he won’t step down “in the face of national challenges.”

The uprising has led to the deaths of 14,000 people in the past sixteen months.