US Deprives Iran’s Chemical Warfare Victims of Access to Medicine: Zarif

Iran’s foreign minister says the United States' “inhumane” sanctions have prevented Iranian victims of chemical warfare from accessing the medicine they need.

Mohammad Javad Zarif said the US administration did not know anything about human rights when it was witnessing the use of chemical weapons against Iran during the imposed war with Iraq.

“It does not recognise human rights when imposing sanctions. Washington does not even respect human rights in its economic terrorism,” added Zarif.

Speaking at a ceremony to commemorate the victims of Sardasht chemical attack, the Iranian foreign minister underlined that in the tragedy of Sardasht, one can see two manifestations of humanity and savagery at the same time. However, Iran did not violate human principles in the face of savagery.

“Morality and the power of selfless people never let them go beyond the limits of humanitarian principles. The Iranian nation never retaliated and this honour was recorded for the Islamic Republic in history. Iran does not violate humanitarian principles in the face of oppression and savagery.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, FM Zarif mentioned the United Nations has repeatedly investigated both the Islamic Republic of Iran’s concern over the use of chemical weapons by Iraq and the Iraqis’ claims against Iran.

However, he said, in all of these investigations it has come to the firm conclusion that it was Saddam’s regime that used chemical weapons.

The first time the UN Security Council condemned Iraq’s use of chemical weapons was at the end of the Iran-Iraq war, underscored Zarif.

“Today, through its inhumane sanctions, the United States is preventing (export of) the medicine needed for chemical (warfare) victims; the drugs needed for other victims as well as the drugs needed for various patients,” stressed the Iranian foreign minister.

The Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein attacked Sardasht, in West Azerbaijan province, in north-western Iran, with chemical weapons in 1987. Sardasht is one of the first cities in the world to be targeted by weapons of mass destruction.

On 28 and 29 June 1987, Iraqi bombers attacked four districts of Sardasht with chemical bombs. The chemical attack left at least 110 people killed, and 5,000 others injured.

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