Iran's most powerful authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the United States was using a chemical attack in Syria as a pretext to interfere in the country and warned it would suffer loss from its intervention.
"In the case of Syria, the chemical attack is a pretext and they say they want to get involved because of humanitarian issues. America has made a mistake in Syria and will certainly suffer loss," Khamenei told a meeting of the Assembly of Experts, a state body, according to Reuters.
Earlier, Khamenei warned that the U.S. intervention in Syria would be “a disaster” for the Middle East. “The region is like a gunpowder store and the future cannot be predicted,” he said. “If [President Barack Obama] gets stuck in this trap, he will certainly leave behind bad memories of his presidency. The intervention of America will be a disaster for the region.”
U.S. Senate committee voted Wednesday, Sept 4, to give President Barack Obama limited authority to use force against Syria. The committee voted 10-7 in favor of a compromise resolution that sets a 60-day limit on any engagement in Syria, with a possible 30-day extension, and bars the use of U.S. troops on the ground for combat operations.
The full Senate is expected to vote on the resolution next week. The House of Representatives also must approve the measure.
So far, only 23 senators have said they support or are likely to back the resolution, according to a tally by ABC/BBC News. 16 have said they oppose or are likely to oppose the resolution, while 61 votes are undecided or unknown.
