Iran Rejects Chemical Weapons Claims against Syrian Government

Local Editor

Iran has rejected claims the Syrian government had deployed chemical weapons, saying if such an attack were proven armed groups would be responsible, IRNA newsagency said Thursday.

“If the information concerning the use of chemical weapons is accurate, very definitely they were used by terrorist groups… who have shown they will not hold back from committing any crime,”Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying.

“With United Nations (chemical weapons) inspectors now in Damascus and the Syrian government in the process of driving the terrorists back, why would it commit such an act”, he asked.

Zarif said Tehran “vigorously condemns any use of chemical weapons”, while accusing the rebels of having “every interest in aggravating and internationalizing the crisis”.

Damascus strongly denied the claims issued by the so-called opposition group, the National Coalition, of “massacring” more than 1,300 people in chemical weapons attacks on Wednesday.

The claims came as a team of UN inspectors was in Syria to probe previous allegations of chemical weapons strikes levelled against both sides during the 29-month conflict.

Source: Al Manar