TEHRAN (Iran News)  Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says that June 28 marks the anniversary of a painful event in Iran’s history—the chemical attack on the city of Sardasht, northwestern Iran,  in 1987. On that day, dozens of civilians were killed, and many more were badly hurt, as Iraqi forces dropped deadly gas bombs on the city.

Sardasht, located in Iran’s West Azerbaijan Province, was the first city to be targeted with chemical weapons after World War II, wrote Baqaei on Saturday to mark the anniversary of a chemical attack in the Iranian city of Sardasht where the toppled regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein killed at least 110 people and wounded 8,000 others on June 28, 1987.

The weapons were made in industrial countries that claimed to support peace and human rights, but they were donated to Saddam Hussein’s regime during the Iran-Iraq war, known as the Sacred Defense in Iran.

Many people in Sardasht still suffer from the consequences of those attacks, he said, adding that survivors struggle with breathing problems that have not gone away even after nearly four decades.

But back then, the world said almost nothing. The voices of the people of Sardasht were lost in the noise of international politics, he noted.

The same silence continues against the scenes of the Gaza Strip, he said.

The diplomat said that Iran would neither forget what happened in Sardasht nor forgive the perpetrators.

Sardasht, located in Iran’s West Azerbaijan Province, was the first city to be targeted with chemical weapons after World War II, wrote Baqaei on Saturday to mark the anniversary of a chemical attack in the Iranian city of Sardasht where the toppled regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein killed at least 110 people and wounded 8,000 others on June 28, 1987.

The weapons were made in industrial countries that claimed to support peace and human rights, but they were donated to Saddam Hussein’s regime during the Iran-Iraq war, known as the Sacred Defense in Iran.

Many people in Sardasht still suffer from the consequences of those attacks, he said, adding that survivors struggle with breathing problems that have not gone away even after nearly four decades.

But back then, the world said almost nothing. The voices of the people of Sardasht were lost in the noise of international politics, he noted.

The same silence continues against the scenes of the Gaza Strip, he said.

The post Sardasht chemical attack remembered after nearly four decades appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message marked the day in a message where he said the survivors of the attack fell victim to the Western countries’ inhumane policies twice.

In the message, Zarif said Sardasht, a city in Iran’s West Azarbaijan province, is a symbol of suffering under the use of chemical weapons against civilians and residential areas in the current era.

“Our beloved chemical attack survivors fell victim to some Western governments’ inhumane policies twice – once when Western companies gave Saddam’s regime chemical materials and technology for production of chemical weapons, with the representatives of their governments in the UN Security Council remaining silent, turning a blind eye to Saddam’s chemical crimes, and letting him continue using chemical weapons against combatants and civilians,” he said.

And again, the foreign minister continued, the same countries targeted the survivors during the era of former U.S. president Donald Trump, “when they imposed the most brutal, inhumane sanctions against Iran, preventing the delivery of medicine and medical equipment to Iran to alleviate the suffering of our beloved chemical attack survivors.”

The chemical bombardment of Sardasht was conducted on June 28, 1987, almost seven years after the regime of Saddam Hussein waged a war on Iran.

During the war, which lasted eight years, the Iraqi army continuously employed chemical weapons against Iranian combatants and civilians, leaving tens of thousands dead on the spot and many more suffering for years to come.

Over 100 people were killed in the Sardasht attack and thousands more were exposed to chemical agents.

After three decades, many of the survivors of the chemical attack still have to live with the long-term respiratory and even psychological effects of inhaling mustard gas used in the attack.

Elsewhere in his message, the chief Iranian diplomat noted that what weapons of mass destruction and sanctions have in common is their inability to aim at their intended targets.

Zarif said in spite of Iran’s endeavors and the cooperation of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the current U.S. administration has not given up on the failed policy of the previous administration against Iran and continues to impose illegal sanctions that prevent the country’s chemical attack survivors from accessing medicine and medical equipment.

The Western and especially the U.S.’s by supporting of such crimes also commit different version of crimes like imposing sanctions on the nations to bring them down no matter the people suffer.

The Westerners talk of human rights and humanitarian aids but in practice, they deprive the nations of their rights by imposing cruel sanctions to make the people suffer or give in.

The crime in Sardasht is one of so many examples of the crimes committed by a regime backed by the West. Sanctions on Iran, Yemen, Syria and other countries which resist against the West are of the other examples for West’s crimes which unfortunately go unnoticed and international bodies are forced to remain silent because they are managed by the West’s elements.

If the world community does not stand against such crimes and not punish the criminals, this sort of crime will continue by the support of the West and it even may encourage the offenders commit more offences.

Since 1987 that Sardasht was attacked by the Iraqi forces with chemical weapon, Iran has been waiting for a proper response by the international bodies regarding this crime and punishment of the culprits and especially those who provided Iraq with such deadly weapons but it has been in vain because there is a proverb which says “hawks will not pick out hawks’ eyes.” So we should not expect the Western-backed international bodies to have any proper response to the real culprits of this crime and we should ourselves find a way to make the world public well aware of such crimes.

As the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution says, Iran should become strong enough to get its right instead of begging it from the West and this can be materialized through being self-sufficient, independent and a strong country in defensive and even aggressive military power, and God willing it is happening gradually and Iran is becoming a regional power that no one can dare to have ill-intention against it.

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He made the remarks addressing the Fourth National Conference on Chemical Defense held simultaneous with the chemical attack on Sardasht and Halabja.

“If those involved in the chemical bombing of Sardasht and Halabja had been sentenced in courts, we would have not been witnessing the use of chemical weapons by countries today,” he said.

He added that although human rights and respect for human life are discussed across the world, chemical weapons are unfortunately used to secure the interests of the arrogant power. “This proves that the international conventions have no deterrent power,” Jalali underscored.

He criticized the westerners for their support for use of chemical weapons across the globe, despite the slogans for the protection of human rights.

“It is very important to produce equipment that protects us against chemical threats, and we need to have strong industries in this field,” he said.

On June 28, 1987, when the Iraqi imposed war against Iran was its peak, the Saddam regime’s launched chemical weapons on Sardasht, northwest Iran, which can be categorized as one of the most adverse humanitarian crimes after the First World War.

As a result of this war crime, some 130 out of 12,000 people residing in Sardasht lost their lives while more than 8,000 others suffered injuries. Although 33 years have passed since the attack, people are still suffering from its consequences.

Concurrent with the Day of Fight against Chemical and Microbial Weapons, the Fourth National Conference on Chemical Defense is underway at the initiative of Iranian Passive Defense Organization and in cooperation with Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences.

The Conference is hosting a group of university professors and researchers with a focus on country’s achievements made in managing the treatment of chemical war veterans and with the slogan of “Chemical Defense, Today’s Strategy, Tomorrow’s Immunity”. The event is being held under health protocols and guidelines due to the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

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The chemical attack took place on June 28, 1987, in the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan. The Iraqi war planes dropped chemical weapons on four residential areas, which resulted in the killing of over 100 citizens and injury of 8000.

Zarif’s message posted on IranGov.ir reads as follows:

“Our dear chemical warfare veterans have twice fallen victim to some Western governments’ inhumane policies. Once, when Western companies provided Saddam’s regime with chemicals and chemical weapons technology, and the representatives of their governments in the United Nations Security Council remained silent and turned a blind eye to Saddam’s chemical crimes and let him continue using chemical weapons against the military forces and civilians and once again during the Trump era, when the most brutal sanctions against humanity prevented sending medicine and medical equipment to alleviate the suffering of our dear chemical warfare victims.

Despite our efforts and the cooperation of Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the new U.S. administration has not let go of the failed policy of the previous administration and continued imposing illegal sanctions on our chemical warfare veterans to access medical equipment.

Iranian government’s legal pursuits through international channels to realize the rights of respected chemical warfare victims have become difficult due to the lack of Western governments’ political will to hand over the perpetrators, assistants and real and legal managers of the chemical attacks to justice and the shortcomings and obstacles in the international penal system. Non-discrimination and segregation in their aims are commonalities between weapons of mass destruction and sanctions.

This is while, the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 once again underscored the need to strengthen international cooperation to overcome global crises.

There are two effective solutions to prevent the recurrence of human catastrophes caused by use of weapons of mass destruction in the future: 1. Handing over the perpetrators of chemical weapons together with their accomplices and managers to justice.

2. Continuous commemoration of the victims of chemical weapons and chemical warfare veterans.

The members of the Chemical Weapons Convention are expected to pursue the complete and rapid elimination of chemical weapons as well as the universality of the convention, to abide by their obligations under the relevant provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention and to comply with their commitments to approvals of the conference on international support for chemical weapons victims and chemical victims assistance fund.”

OPCW chief: Chemical weapons victims deserve our respect and solidarity

OPCW Director General Fernando Arias also said in a statement on Monday that the Sardasht victims and all others who have experienced the torment and pain caused by chemical weapons “deserve all our respect and solidarity”.

Arias further stated, “I deliver these remarks on the 34th anniversary of the 1987 chemical weapons attack on the village of Sardasht in Iran. The 28th of June is a solemn day of commemoration for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as we pause to remember the victims of that brutal attack. I have been with the victims in Tehran and in The Hague and I share with them their pain and their feelings. On behalf of the OPCW, I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to and express my solidarity with the people of Sardasht. This tragic anniversary is a momentous occasion for the international community to reunify in our shared condemnation of chemical weapons.”

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“Following a terrorist attack by agents affiliated with the Global Arrogance, the criminal group traitor to the Kurdish nation (Democratic Party), which martyred serviceman Khaled Shwaneh in Piranshahr, the IRGC, intelligence and border guards forces killed two of the terrorists in a surprise operation in rural areas of Sardasht county and injured and arrested the third one, who was their link for leaving the country,” reads the statement.

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