Since the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Iran has started to distance itself from their longtime alliance, instead stressing the history of friendship between the two countries.
Rebels advanced from their stronghold in the northwestern city of Idlib to the capital Damascus in less than two weeks, ousting Assad on Sunday and ending 50 years of rule by his clan.
Iranian officials and state media have since shifted their tone on the rebels, calling them "opposition groups" instead of "terrorists".