Iran Is the Biggest Victim of Chemical Weapons Since World War II

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who traveled to The Hague to attend the annual meeting of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention and meet with the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, met and talked with Fernando Arias, Director of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, on Tuesday morning.

In this meeting, the Foreign Minister of Iran, noting that Iran is the biggest victim of chemical weapons since World War II, emphasized the Islamic Republic of Iran’s determination to pursue the rights of the victims of these weapons, and noted the responsibility of the international community, especially the countries that played a direct or indirect role in equipping the Saddam regime with chemical weapons, in this regard.

Araghchi considered the illegal and cruel sanctions against Iran and the denial of access to medical and therapeutic data-x-items for chemical weapons victims as a double oppression against the victims of chemical weapons and their families, and stated that these sanctions are considered crimes against humanity, and the parties imposing the sanctions and those implementing the sanctions must be held accountable for committing this crime.

Referring to the presence of the representative of the people of Sardasht in the Islamic Consultative Assembly in the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, he considered the chemical attack by the Saddam regime in July 1987 on the innocent people of Sardasht an unforgettable disaster for the world, and emphasized Iran's commitment to continue efforts to prevent the repetition of such a disaster anywhere in the world.

Araghchi also briefed the head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on the crimes of the Zionist regime in the aggressive attack on Iran and the attack on industrial facilities under the supervision of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and called for the organization to pay due attention to this issue.

The Foreign Minister, noting that the Zionist regime, as a party that has committed the most serious international crimes and seriously endangered international peace and security, is outside the Chemical Weapons Convention, emphasized the responsibility of the international community to hold this regime accountable.

Fernando Arias, the head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, emphasized the organization's mission to prevent the repetition of past tragedies resulting from the use of chemical weapons, and announced the readiness of the organization's secretariat to continue cooperation with Iran within the framework of the organization's competencies.