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TEHRAN, Jul 30 - When former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons to kill thousands of Iranians during the imposed war from 1980 to 1988, not only did the US and its Western and regional allies look the other way but they also aided the then-dictatorial regime in committing war crimes.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Iraq didn’t have the possibility of producing the bombs from scratch. But it had several accomplices. Countries providing Iraq with the ingredients for chemical bombs knew Iraq was at war.
The US, the UK, Germany, Italy, and Holland were among the countries providing Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist Iraq with the equipment and material to build chemical weapons.
Iraq made the most of its acquisitions by launching over 350 large-scale gas attacks along the Iran-Iraq border between 1980 and 1988 on soldiers and civilians alike.
And it wasn’t just mustard gas. Iraq also used the nerve agents VX, Tabun, and Sarin. This left Iran with over 107,000 victims, 2,600 of whom died at the time. Over 45,000 others were left in permanent need of relief aid provided by Iran’s Veterans and War Victims Foundation.
The northwestern Iranian town of Sardasht was just one of the civilian areas to experience the devastating effects of mustard gas and nerve agents.
The citizens of Sardasht were all too accustomed to Iraqi bombardment in the 1980s — conventional bombs that is. Little did they know that the new chemical bombs didn’t have to explode to kill and maim. Before they knew it, 110 people were dead.
It was on July 22, 1988 when Zardeh, a village of 1,700 residents were hit presumably by Tabun, a nerve gas that causes convulsions and paralysis before death. This killed 275 on the spot and injured 1,146. Not least, a Zardeh water source was contaminated by missile collision. This poisoned people and animals in other villages.
Other Iraqi dirty strikes on Iran after Sardasht were carried out in March 1988 in villages around the city of Marivan, and in May-June 1988 in villages around the cities of Sarpol-e Zahab, Gilan-e-gharb, and Oshnavieh.
In March 1988, Iraq also used chemical weapons in Halabja, home to Iraqi Kurds, who had joined with Iran in fighting Saddam. According to reports, 5,000 mainly women and children were killed of mustard gas and sarin poisoning, and up to 12,000 have died since because of chemical exposure.
Today, Tehran’s Peace Museum is a reminder of the horrors of chemical warfare
The Iranian nation revisited the Sardasht affair on its 32nd anniversary recently. That is barely over a month apart from Hiroshima and Nagasaki days on August 6 and 9, when the Japanese cities were nuked by the US in 1945.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message paid tribute in to Sardasht chemical attack victims.
“Undoubtedly, the chemical bombardment of Sardasht is one of the most bitter memories remained for the Iranians since the eight years of the imposed war…,” Zarif said. “This stain of disgrace will remain on the foreheads of the perpetrators and supporters of this crime forever.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with the legal, religious and ethical norms on the prohibition of Weapons of Mass Destruction, insists on its principled policy of condemning the use of chemical weapons at any time, any place and under any circumstances, and considers the complete elimination of the remaining stockpiles of chemical weapons of the US, the only holder of those weapons…, as a key step towards achieving a world free of WMDs,” the top Iranian diplomat stated.
Today, Iran is the world’s largest laboratory for the study of the effects of chemical weapons, because of the unthinkable number of Iranian victims.
While small-pox has been eradicated more or less, and cancer patients get to live a decade longer in comfort, victims of chemical warfare say they only feel worse as time goes by.
Mustard gas or sulfur mustard initially smells as harmless as garlic. But it can cause large blisters on the skin and in the lungs. Its victims suffer anything from blindness to cancer. The nerve agent was used against Iran in dusty, liquid, and vapor forms.
In March 1988, Iraq also used chemical weapons in Halabja, home to Iraqi Kurds, who had joined with Iran in fighting Saddam. According to reports, 5,000 mainly women and children were killed of mustard gas and sarin poisoning, and up to 12,000 have died since because of chemical exposure.
Today, Tehran’s Peace Museum is a reminder of the horrors of chemical warfare
The Iranian nation revisited the Sardasht affair on its 32nd anniversary recently. That is barely over a month apart from Hiroshima and Nagasaki days on August 6 and 9, when the Japanese cities were nuked by the US in 1945.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message paid tribute in to Sardasht chemical attack victims.
“Undoubtedly, the chemical bombardment of Sardasht is one of the most bitter memories remained for the Iranians since the eight years of the imposed war…,” Zarif said. “This stain of disgrace will remain on the foreheads of the perpetrators and supporters of this crime forever.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with the legal, religious and ethical norms on the prohibition of Weapons of Mass Destruction, insists on its principled policy of condemning the use of chemical weapons at any time, any place and under any circumstances, and considers the complete elimination of the remaining stockpiles of chemical weapons of the US, the only holder of those weapons…, as a key step towards achieving a world free of WMDs,” the top Iranian diplomat stated.
Today, Iran is the world’s largest laboratory for the study of the effects of chemical weapons, because of the unthinkable number of Iranian victims.
While small-pox has been eradicated more or less, and cancer patients get to live a decade longer in comfort, victims of chemical warfare say they only feel worse as time goes by.
Mustard gas or sulfur mustard initially smells as harmless as garlic. But it can cause large blisters on the skin and in the lungs. Its victims suffer anything from blindness to cancer. The nerve agent was used against Iran in dusty, liquid, and vapor forms.
Source: Press TV
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