Araqchi arrived in The Hague on Tuesday to attend the annual meeting of member states of the Chemical Weapons Convention. He held talks with a number of officials, including the Dutch Foreign Minister, in addition to a meeting with the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Fernando Arias.
During his meetings, Araqchi stated that Iran considers itself “the biggest victim of chemical weapons since World War II,” emphasizing the Islamic Republic’s determination to demand the rights of the victims and stressing the duty of the international community, especially the countries that contributed directly or indirectly to supplying Saddam Hussein’s regime with chemical weapons.
He explained that the sanctions imposed on Iran, which he described as “illegal and cruel,” which deprive veterans affected by chemical weapons from accessing treatment and medicine, represent a “double injustice” for the victims of these weapons and their families, considering that these measures amount to “crimes against humanity” and that those responsible for imposing and implementing them must be held accountable.
Araqchi also informed the Secretary-General of the organization about what he called “the crimes of the Israeli entity” in attacking Iran and targeting industrial facilities under the supervision of the OPCW, demanding that this issue be given due attention.
He pointed out that “the Israeli entity, as a party that has committed the most serious crimes that threaten international peace and security, remains outside the Chemical Weapons Convention.”
