Iran biggest victim of chemical weapons: Acting FM
Iran is the biggest victim of chemical weapons and continues to strongly oppose using them, Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani says.
MEHR: Iran is the biggest victim of chemical weapons and continues to strongly oppose using them, Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani says.
Bagheri Kani made the comment in a message he issued on Saturday on the anniversary of the attack that took place on June 28, 1987. On that day, the toppled regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein dropped chemical bombs on the city, located in West Azarbaijan Province, killing at least 110 people and wounding 8,000 others.
The Iranian diplomat said in his message that the Saddam regime, backed by some Western states, conducted numerous chemical attacks against Iranian civilians and military personnel during the 8-year imposed war while the international community kept silent.
Despite that, he said, the Islamic Republic remained committed to moral rules and refrained from any reciprocal measures, adding that Iran is the biggest victim of chemical weapons and continues to strongly oppose using them.
“The extensive use of chemical weapons by the Saddam regime became possible through relying on scientific and technical support of some European governments and companies, especially Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, as well as extensive political, military, and diplomatic support of the United States and the UK for the war machine of Saddam.”
These Western states continued to support the Saddam regime despite the fact that UN experts admitted and verified the constant use of chemical weapons against Iranian citizens, he noted, adding that they even prevented the Iranian people’s voice from being heard at international legal bodies.
The Iranian nation will never forget such inhumane and unlawful actions, Bagheri Kani said, stressing that bringing to justice the perpetrators and their supporters in using chemical weapons against the Islamic Republic is not subject to the passage of time.
International bodies should exercise their responsibility to hold to account the criminals and uphold the rights of the victims, he said, adding that the measures will help prevent the repetition of similar disasters in future.
According to the top diplomat, the Islamic Republic has spared no effort to provide the victims with medical and health services over the past four decades. However, he said, the country has faced problems to continue the work in recent years due to unlawful and cruel sanctions by Western states, especially the US.
Washington’s claim that humanitarian items are excluded from the sanctions is a sheer lie, he added.
