08 May 2021; MEMO: Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Majid Takht Ravanchi has called for compelling Israel to join the Chemical Weapons Convention.
On Friday, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted Ravanchi's speech during the meeting of the UN Security Council on chemical weapons in Syria on Thursday. Ravanchi, in his speech, declared that the actions taken based on political goals had weakened the capabilities and status of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The Iranian official considers that the exploitation by some countries of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the OPCW's political endeavour to achieve its national goals, are some of the challenges facing multilateralism, while seriously weakening the treaty and leading to a legitimacy and trust crisis.
Ravanchi also criticised the technical and legal principles emanating from the recent conference of state members on Syria, noting that some Western countries have particular political goals to achieve in this regard.
He views the resolution against Damascus as biased and inconsistent with the provisions and objectives of the convention, and pointed out that Iran is the biggest victim of the widespread use of chemical weapons in contemporary history. Ravanchi concluded by asserting: "We condemn once again in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under whatever circumstances."
