Iran against all kinds of weapons of mass destruction: deputy FM
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Tehran, Nov 4, IRNA
Iran-CW-Araghchi
Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs said here Saturday that the Islamic Republic of Iran is against use of any kind of weapons of mass destruction.
In an article addressing the 8th annual course on Medical Aspects of Defense against Chemical Weapons Injuries, Abbas Araghchi said Iran was one of the first countries in the world to be exposed to extensive chemical weapon attacks after World War I.
In March 2003, the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) stated that seven specialist missions had documented repeated use of chemical weapons by Iraq during the 1980-88 Iraqi-imposed war in violation of the 1925 Geneva Protocol, he said quoting reports as asserting that Iraq had dropped almost 19,500 chemical bombs, more than 54,000 chemical artillery shells and 27,000 short-range chemical rockets between 1983 and 1988.
Iraq also declared that about 1,800 tons of mustard, 140 tons of tabun and more than 600 tons of sarin had been used during this period against Iran, he added.
The horrifying effects of mustard agents are known to cause long-term medical complications lasting for many decades, he said stressing that exposure to mustard gas is associated with development of complicated respiratory diseases and cancers, as well as several chronic illnesses which will cause gradual death of the injured.
In the past two decades, Iran has had the world's largest population of chemical attack survivors, he said, adding that as many as 45,000 individuals still suffer from the gas-related diseases in Iran out of which 7,000 are civilians.
He further voiced Iran's readiness to provide the world community with its experiences in the field.
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