Islam Times - Iran Marks Day of Prohibiting Chemical, Biological Weapons

Islam Times - Iranians commemorate the day of prohibiting chemical and biological weapons when Saddam's heinous act left behind one of the most bitter memories in the history of Iran.

June 28 is the reminder of the chemical bombardment of Sardasht which symbolizes the fact that the people of Sardasht were oppressed.

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.

Germany, Italy, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, and several other countries provided the Iraqi dictator with the equipment and material to build chemical weapons apparently because they didn’t want Iran to be the winner of the eight-year war.

What adds insult to the injury of those residing in the region is the fact that the international communities, even the United Nations, never condemned this heinous crime against humanity.

This overlooking made Saddam’s regime more arrogant and gave him the nod to continue chemical attacks.

The Baathist regime of Iraq used 6,000 chemical bombs in 242 assaults, only a small portion of which was reported in the Western media.

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.

Sardasht was not even considered a military target; the population was both unprotected and unprepared for a chemical weapons assault.

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.

The impacts, which include chronic respiratory issues, eye and skin problems, immune system illnesses, psychiatric disorders, genetic abnormalities, and presumably cancers, are still being felt by around 100,000 Iranians.

Iran marks day of prohibiting chemical, biological weapons

Iran marks day of prohibiting chemical, biological weapons

Iranians show pictures of the victims of Sardasht tragedy

Brigadier General Jalali, Head of Iran's Passive Defense Organization made the remarks in 2021 on the occasion of the chemical bombardment of Sardasht city.

"Mostly Western and European countries who claim to be human rights advocates helped Saddam and provided him with this equipment, and unfortunately none of the international courts addressed this issue," Jalali said in condemnation of the Western-backed chemical attacks by Saddam regime against Iranian cities and his people.

"The crimes of the Europeans in the chemical attack on our country and even on the Iraqis themselves, like in the case of Halabja, were not sued in any courts. This is a global challenge, and if the world wants to make sure that these tragic incidents do not happen again, it must exercise preventive punishments while trying to bring to justice the perpetrators behind such tragedies", he added.

According to France 24, "Today, the survivors of those poison gas attacks still struggle with mental and physical health problems."

However, the residents of the Iranian town of Sardasht have not given up their fight for international recognition of the horrific massacre, added the media.