“We strongly condemn any use of chemical weapons, irrespective of who used them or their victims,” the spokesman said on Wednesday.
“Considering the transfer, stockpile and use of chemical weapons by terrorist groups in Syria, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always believed that despite the disarmament of the Syrian government through its full cooperation and under the supervision of a joint representative of the UN and the OPCW, ignoring the need for the chemical disarmament of terrorist groups has been a major flaw in the country's chemical disarmament process,” the Iranian official said.
The Iranian official said that the catastrophe was not the first of its kind in Syria. He also warned that dealing with the tragedy based on double standards, rash judgment and propaganda purposes and using it as a tool to level accusations against others and reinforce the political demands of certain sides would prevent addressing the root causes of such disasters.
Qassemi said the Syrian government had voluntarily dismantled its stockpile of chemical weapons under the supervision of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The senior diplomat also stressed that it was now time for disarming terrorist groups in the Arab country.
The Syrian government turned over its entire chemical stockpile under a deal negotiated by Russia and the United States back in 2013.
Qassemi said that the attack was aimed at disrupting the nationwide ceasefire in Syria. He also stressed that the failure of the global community in fighting terrorism was among the reasons behind such incidents.
The official also expressed Iran’s readiness to treat the Syrian victims of the attack.
Dozens of people were killed in a chemical attack in the Syrian town of Khan Shaykhun in the northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday.
The Daesh Takfiri terror group has launched several chemical attacks in Syria over the past years.