Iranian President Hassan Rowhani on Saturday acknowledged chemical weapons had been used to kill people in Syria, in what was reported to be his first time to make such remarks.
Although he did not point the finger at any particular side in the Syrian conflict, Tehran has previously accused Syrian rebels of being behind what it called suspected chemical attacks.
“Many of the innocent people of Syria have been injured and martyred by chemical agents and this is unfortunate,” recently elected Rowhani was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency, according to Reuters.
“We completely and strongly condemn the use of chemical weapons,” he said, according to the agency.
“The Islamic Republic gives notice to the international community to use all its might to prevent the use of these weapons anywhere in the world, especially in Syria,” he added.
Rowhani added that Iran, itself a victim of chemical attacks in its 1980-1988 war with Iraq, “totally and vigorously condemned the use of chemical weapon.”
During the conflict, chemical strikes by the Iraqi armed forces killed thousands of Iranians, particularly in civilian areas, according to AFP news agency.
“The Islamic republic of Iran, which was the victim of chemical weapons, asks the international community to do everything to stop the use of these weapons anywhere in the world,” Rowhani said.
On Wednesday, the Syrian opposition reported that forces loyal to the Syrian regime killed at least 1,300 civilians with poison gas in suburbs of Damascus.
(With Reuters and AFP)
