Iran Slams West’s Double-Standard Policy on Chemical Weapons

In a phone conversation with his British counterpart on Sunday, the Iranian foreign minister condemned the unilateral attack on Syria and reiterated that the Islamic Republic of Iran is against any use of chemical weapons.

He reminded British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson of the use of chemical weapons by Iraq’s former dictator Saddam Hussein against Iran under the auspices of the US, the UK and France, and slammed the West for adopting double standards when it comes to the use of chemical weapons.

Zarif also raised questions about the timing of the Syria airstrikes which came just ahead of the visit of chemical weapons experts to Syria to probe into a suspected chemical attack on Douma, and added the two airstrikes by the US on Syria were carried out at a time when the Syrian government forces had the upper hand in their fight against the terrorists and were pushing them to defeat.

He also reminded his British counterpart of Iran’s stance towards Syria’s chemical disarmament, saying, “When the issue of Syria’s chemical disarmament was raised we announced that the terrorist groups in Syria are equipped with chemical weapons but no one took Iran’s warning seriously.”

Zarif once again slammed the US, Britain and France for their “unilateral, illegitimate and arbitrary move” to strike Syria, saying, “No country is allowed to unilaterally punish other states outside of international norms.”

Johnson, for his part, provided explanations for the United Kingdom’s role in the recent US-led airstrikes on Syria.

Early on Saturday, the US, Britain and France launched a series of missile attacks against Syria in response to what they claimed was a chemical attack by the Damascus government in the town of Douma in the suburb of Damascus on April 7.