Seyed Abbas Araghchi stated, “The use of chemical weapons in armed conflicts is a heinous war crime that does not fade with the passage of time. Iran therefore persists in its call for accountability and justice regarding the Saddam regime’s use of chemical weapons against Iranians.”

The full text of his speech is as follows:

Mr. President,
Mr. Director-General,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies & Gentlemen,

I wish to begin by expressing our appreciation to you, Mr. President, and to the Secretariat for all the efforts you all have put into organizing this important Conference.

Mr. President,
The Chemical Weapons Convention, as an outstanding legacy of human collective wisdom and conscience, was created to prevent the horror of the use of chemical weapons from recurring.
We, the Iranians, feel the extreme pain and suffering inflicted on our soldiers and civilians by Saddam regime’s chemical attacks during his war of aggression on Iran. Our wounds are still bleeding after 4 decades; and we can see the horror of chemical weapons as our war heroes and veterans as well as their families continue to suffer extreme pain.
I have with me Mr. Kamal Hoseinpur, representative of Sardasht in the Parliament. For us and for the entire world Sardasht represents an iconic name in global campaign for prohibition of chemical weapons and for justice for the victims. Sardashti people were among many innocent Iranian civilians and combatants who were targeted by chemical weapons during 8 year-long imposed war on Iran. We pay tribute to the heroic people of Sardasht who lost their lives during that savage attack and to those who still suffering from the injuries and to their families.

Mr. President,
‘Truth’ should prevail and ‘justice’ must be served; the atrocity crimes of international concern have no statute of limitations. The use of chemical weapons in armed conflicts is a heinous war crime that does not disappear with the passage of time. Iran persists, therefore, in its call for accountability and justice with regard to Saddam regime’s use of chemical weapons against Iranians. Those who provided Saddam regime with necessary materials and know-hows to develop its military chemical program must be held to account. We urge those countries, to be responsive to our constant call to undertake an independent and transparent investigations into their companies and nationals who were involved in procurement, development and use of former Iraqi regime’s chemical weapons program.

Mr. President,
We all can sense how badly today’s international relations face unprecedented distresses due to ‘militant unilateralism’ disguised as ‘rules-based order’. The United Nations and its underlying purposes and principles are under attack. Article 2(4) of the Charter as the main guarantor of ‘saving the succeeding generations from scourge of war’ is persistently violated. Even worse, such violations are systematically normalized. What is taking place in our region, i.e., the Israeli perpetual wars, aggressions, genocide and colonial expansion, is the direct outcome of American support and certain European countries’ appeasement.
The U.S. contempt for international law has been translated into a bold attempt to construct a “force-based international order” where resorting to naked military power in pursuit of their illegitimate interests is justified. The ‘rules-based order’ defies established norms and principles that have long banned the use of prohibited weapons including chemical weapons. It is no surprise that the Israeli regime has been using a wide range of banned weaponry including cluster ammunitions in its aggressions in Gaza and Lebanon.

Mr. President,
Nowhere more than our region is familiar with lawless behavior as Israeli/American wars have kept the entire region in a state of perpetual insecurity and massive bloodshed. Over the past 2 years an all-out genocide has been taking place in occupied Palestine with full impunity accorded to Israel. The Israeli regime has attacked seven countries and continues to occupy the lands of Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.
Israel’s unlawful armed attack against Iran in last June followed by American direct military intervention showcased the prevalence of militancy and armed bullying over ‘rule of law’.
The Israeli regime’s act of aggression against Iran in last June was not only a blatant attack on the tenets of the UN Charter and international law but also a huge blow to NPT regime and the CWC’s founding pillars. They attacked not only our safeguarded nuclear facilities but also the installations and sites under the OPCW’s verification mandate, thereby triggering the risk of the release of chemical and radioactive materials- a danger that could have threatened human health and the environment well beyond Iran’s borders.
The formal admission by the U.S. President on 6 November 2025 acknowledging his direct role in Israel’s aggression against Iran constitutes unequivocal evidence of the United States’ responsibility for Israel’s unlawful act and its flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations. This is further to U.S. responsibility for its direct attack on Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities on 23 June.

Mr. President,
We should safeguard the fundamental principles of equality, impartiality, and non-discrimination in order to guarantee the effective functioning of the Organization.
We should be reminded that the CWC was drafted with a clear and unequivocal purpose: the complete elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction and the prevention of their re-emergence. It was never conceived as a means for advancing the political interests of certain States.

The Organization’s credibility is preserved only if it remains faithful to its professional and non-political mandate and distances from geopolitical orientations. As such, the OPCW must be able to perform its technical mandate without any pressures and influences.

Mr. President,
The Israeli regime has acceded to no disarmament treaty whatsoever, including the Chemical Weapons Convention, and remains the only obstacle to the establishment of ME WMD free zone.
WMDs are always dangerous and inhuman but when they are in the hands of wanted criminals that have been engaged in online massacre and genocide for the past 2 years, constitute an existential threat to human civilization and to our planet. The Israeli regime must be compelled to accede to the Convention and to submit to full-scope inspections, as a priority for OPCW.

Mr. President,
The Chemical Weapons Convention is the most successful disarmament treaty. Yet such success can endure only if its provisions are complied with by all States with no exception and without double standards. Selective application or politically driven interpretations of the Convention’s provisions would undermine our shared objectives and erode the collective trust among States Parties.
That said, the cases of non-compliance and/or delays by United States and certain other States must be duly addressed. They are grounded in the Organization’s official reports, the statements of former officials of those countries, and matters previously highlighted in earlier sessions. We underscore that full transparency and constructive cooperation with verification mechanisms are indispensable to preserving the credibility of this Convention.
In this context, the Islamic Republic of Iran has, on numerous occasions, through formal channels, raised its concerns regarding instances of non-compliance or delays in fulfilling the Convention’s obligations by the United States. The U.S is continuing to develop non-lethal weapons and, according to its official sources, implementing various projects to weaponize psychoactive substances and synthetic opioid-based agents.

When a state possessing the largest declared stockpiles of chemical weapons remains years behind its scheduled destruction timeline; when information pertaining to certain of its chemical activities are not furnished with full transparency; when that very state presumes to posture as a claimant against others- such conduct is not only incompatible with the spirit of the Convention, but also undermines international confidence in this Organization.

Mr. President,
Unilateral and unlawful coercive measures including sanctions constitute a manifest violation of international law. Despite the passage of twenty-eight years since the entry into force of the Convention, and despite States Parties’ commitments to facilitate the transfer of chemical materials and equipment for peaceful purposes, illegal restrictions persist due to illicit unilateral sanctions by the United States and their application by European countries.
More deplorably, these sanctions even obstruct normal access by Iranian chemical-weapons’ victims to essential medicines and medical equipment.
All States are legally and morally obliged not to hinder the provision of necessary medicines and medical equipment for treating the victims of chemical weapons. This is all the more applicable to States whose companies and officials were implicated in Saddam’s chemical weapons program.
Let me conclude, Mr. President, by conveying my gratitude to the Asia-Pacific Group for its confidence in the Islamic Republic of Iran and for its endorsement of my country’s election to the Executive Council for the 2026–2028 term, an endorsement duly affirmed by the Conference.
My delegation assures you, Mr. President, and other delegations of its full cooperation and support in the discharge of your responsibility.

Thank you for your attention.