The United States has accused Iran of failing to declare chemical weapon-related activities in violation of commitments to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Speaking to an annual meeting of the intergovernmental organization in The Hague on Thursday, U.S. envoy Kenneth Ward said Washington is concerned that Iran is developing “central nervous system-acting chemicals” for offensive military purposes. He did not cite the source of the allegation.
Three examples
Ward also gave three examples of what he said were Iranian declaration failures under OPCW rules. Iran is a signatory to the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention administered by OPCW.
Ward said Iran failed to declare a capability to fill weapons with chemicals, its transfer of chemical-filled shells to Libya in the 1980s, and its marketing of CR gas at defense expos as a riot control agent. A 2011 Washington Post report quoted U.S. officials as saying chemical munitions uncovered that year by rebels in Libya’s civil war appeared to have originated in Iran.
U.S. media had quoted Trump administration officials last week as saying Washington would use the OPCW conference, which began Wednesday, to raise the issue of Iran’s alleged chemical weapons program.
Since May, Washington has been increasing economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran to stop a range of perceived malign activities, including a suspected nuclear weapons program and its development of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. Iran says its nuclear activities are peaceful.
Source » voanews