Iranians not to forget West's role in chemical attacks

Amir Saeed Iravani made the remarks late on Monday as he addressed a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East that focused on Syria.

“As the main victim of chemical weapons, the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, and under any circumstances. The use of chemical weapons is a serious violation of international law and a crime against humanity. It constitutes a threat to international peace and security," he said.

He added, “Our people will never forget the role that some Western countries played in assisting the Saddam regime in the systematic use of chemical weapons against the Iranian people during Iraq's imposed war against Iran.”

“Some Western countries either remained silent or were complicit in such atrocities. Because of their harmful actions and double standards, the UN Security Council was unable to carry out its based charter duties to take effective action to hold perpetrators accountable for such atrocious crimes,” the official underlined.

“It is disturbing to see these double standards and detrimental practices continue to persist, as evidenced by the politicization of the Convention and the OPCW for short-sighted political gain. Such an approach not only risks creating divisions among member states but also undermines the credibility and legitimacy of the disarmament machinery,” he noted.

He further noted, “The Syrian Arab Republic remains committed to its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. In line with this commitment, the Syrian government has continued its constructive cooperation with OPCW.”

“The use of chemical weapons by terrorist organizations poses a grave threat, which the Syrian Arab Republic has repeatedly expressed its concern about,” he added.

He underscored, “Such a threat should not be ignored or undervalued and requires condemnation as well as immediate action to prevent these weapons out of terrorists' hands.”

“We support constructive dialogue between Syria and the OPCW at the highest level, with a specific time frame to resolve outstanding issues and finally close the file,” Iravani said.

“However, any investigation must be impartial, professional, credible, and objective, and must fully comply with the Convention's requirements and procedures,” he underlined.

Furthermore, it is crucial that the OPCW remains a neutral and objective international body, guided solely by scientific and technical considerations, in its efforts to prevent the use of chemical weapons and promote the goals of the Convention, he added.

He highlighted, “We call on all member states to uphold the principles of the Convention and work together to ensure the impartiality, professionalism, and integrity of the OPCW.”

“And finally, continuing to convene monthly meetings on the Syrian chemical file, despite no new developments, where some members repeat previous claims against the Syrian Arab Republic, is not constructive,” he underlined.