Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that the U.S. intervention in Syria will be a "catastrophe" for the region, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

The region is like a "powder keg" and the future is unpredictable if something happens, Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with the cabinet members.

His words were an allusion to the possible U.S. military responses to the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.