Gharibabadi issued the call while addressing the 29th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CSP-29) opened in The Hague on Monday.
During his speech, the Iranian diplomat outlined his country’s stance on chemical weapons, the crimes and violations of the Zionist regime, and the West's support for this regime's past and present crimes against the people in the region.
Emphasizing that Iran has been the greatest victim of chemical weapons in contemporary times, Gharibabadi strongly condemned the Zionist crimes against the people of Palestine and Lebanon. "This regime, with the unconditional support of some Western countries, especially the United States, continues its crimes and enjoys immunity."
Gharibabadi called for immediate action by the UN Security Council to impose effective sanctions on the Zionist regime in accordance with Chapter VII of the UN Charter and stressed that all states must refrain from any economic, military and arms cooperation with this regime.
He also condemned the Zionist regime’s use of chemical weapons and other dangerous substances, including white phosphorus and depleted uranium, against the defenseless people of Palestine and Lebanon, and called on the OPCW chief to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this matter and take the necessary measures to protect the victims.
While urging member states to spare no effort to end the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian and Lebanese people, Gharibabadi once again warned against the threats of the Israeli chemical weapons arsenal to regional and international peace and security.
There is the need to achieve the universality of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the international community must pile up pressure on the Zionist regime to join it and place all its chemical facilities under the supervision of the OPCW, he said.
Gharibabadi also described as baseless, undocumented, and repetitive the accusations of the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran, saying Tehran has always adhered to its obligations within the framework of the Chemical Weapons Convention and has placed all its related chemical facilities under the supervision and inspection.
Gharibabadi criticized the US for its fabricated accusations against the main victim of chemical weapon attacks in modern times and said that it is Washington, the largest holder of chemical weapons stockpiles, that has become the main violator of the convention.
The United States has a history of non-compliance with the convention, and in 2003, after the invasion of Iraq under the pretext of destroying weapons of mass destruction, Washington and its allies, after a six-year delay, proceeded to transfer and destroy chemical weapons discovered in Iraq without informing the OPCW, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran emphasized.
He said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly conveyed to members about the violation of the convention by the United States and its allies, including their help to the Zionist regime’s secret chemical weapons arsenal as well as other weapons prohibited under the convention.
Gharibabadi also expressed regret that the United States accuses other countries in order to divert public opinion from the Zionist regime’s extensive use of American-made white phosphorus and other prohibited weapons against the people of Gaza and Lebanon as well as their repeated use by US-backed terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.
Elsewhere in his speech, the Deputy Foreign Minister referred to the West’s support for the regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in its war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
As the main suppliers of chemicals to the Iraqi regime under Saddam, Germany and the United States were complicit in chemical crimes against the Iranian people, he noted, adding that “these countries must be held accountable for their illegal actions and take steps to compensate Iran’s chemical victims.”
While emphasizing that victims of chemical weapons in Iran are still suffering from illegal sanctions imposed by Western countries on the supply of medicine and medical equipment, Gharibabadi called for the efforts of the OPCW to help support these victims.
He also called for preventing the politicization of the OPCW and strengthening international cooperation in the field of new technologies to advance the peaceful goals of the Convention.
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