The Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader has blamed the United States and Israel for the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
"No one should doubt that what has happened in Syria is the product of a joint US-Israeli plot," Ali Khamenei told a group of people in Tehran on Wednesday.
He said, "Yes, a neighboring government of Syria plays, has played, and is playing an obvious role in this regard - everyone sees this - but the main conspirators, masterminds, and command centres are in America and the Zionist regime. We have evidence. This evidence leaves no room for doubt."
He added, "You must understand that the more pressure you put on the resistance front [against Israel], the stronger it becomes.
"The more crimes you commit, the more motivated it becomes. The more it is fought, the more it will expand. By the grace of God, the resistance will expand even further to cover the entire region."
The fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria marks the most significant international setback for the Islamic Republic since its founding in 1979.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), after years of fighting opposition forces, is now completely excluded from political and military influence in Syria.
Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow and was granted asylum on "humanitarian grounds" after rebels seized control of the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive.
Russian state media reported that Assad and his family arrived in the capital on Sunday night after his palace was looted and thousands of prisoners were freed, marking a swift end to his family's decades-long rule.