Iran's most powerful religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said recently proposed military action against by the United States against Syria could be a excuse to interfere in the country and warned it would suffer loss from any intervention.

"In the case of Syria, the chemical attack is a pretext...." Khamenei said while addressing a state body, the Assembly of Experts. He said, "The Americans try to play with words and pretend that they've become involved in this case for humanitarian aims."

Khamenei's words prove Iran's continued support for Syrian President Bashar al Assad. The U.S. recently accused Bashar's regime of launching poison gas into an embattled suburb of Damascus on August 21st. According to U.S. officials, over 1,400 people were killed, including hundreds of children.

But Iran's response to the chemical attack in recent days hints at disagreement within the corridors of power.

In contrast to religious leaders, the government of Iran's newly-elected President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, has condemned the use of chemical weapons and warned against military strikes in Syria, but not allocated responsibility for the attack.

The Iranian chief executive said foreign meddling and support for terrorism as the main reasons behind the problems of the Middle East, including Syria. 

Rouhani said President Barack Obama's choice to seek congressional support before launching a military strike on Syria shows that Washington's war oratory lacks authority both at home and abroad. 

He also reaffirmed Tehran's resolve to continue humanitarian support for the Syrian nation, saying, "If Syrians face problems, the Islamic Republic of Iran will fulfill its religious and humanitarian duties to provide food and medicine for Syrians." 

Assad's government has denied responsibility, blaming what it calls a provocation by Syrian rebel forces meant to provoke foreign military intervention on their side in the civil war.