Statement by
H.E. Ms. Zahra Ershadi
Ambassador and Chargé d’affaires ad interim
of the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
Before the United Nations Security Council
On “The situation in the Middle East
(Syria – Chemical)”
New York, 4 August 2021
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Mr. President,
I sincerely congratulate you for presiding over the Security Council this month and assure of our full support.
The Islamic Republic of Iran once again reaffirms the importance of preserving the authority of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the OPCW.
This indeed requires the full, effective and non-discriminatory implementation of the Convention as well as the impartial, independent and professional work by the OPCW.
These are of extreme importance with regard to the application of the Convention to Syria.
As we have said time and again, this issue has unfortunately been politicized by a certain group of countries, resulting in undermining the Convention’s authority and its effective implementation as well as the OPCW’s credibility.
Additionally, we missed the opportunity to properly address this issue in the past several years. Nevertheless, it’s never too late to mend.
In this context, we positively note the invitation by the OPCW Director-General to the Foreign Minister of Syria to communicate at the high level.
We also acknowledge that the Syrian Foreign Minister has welcomed this invitation and expressed his readiness to meet in Damascus with the Director-General of the OPCW at any time he deems appropriate.
The objective of such a high-level meeting would be to discuss about relevant working methods and modalities, and to ultimately agree on the steps that must be taken by the Syrian Arab Republic in the implementation of its obligations under the Convention.
The Islamic Republic of Iran once again recognizes Syria’s serious efforts in the past several years in implementing its obligations as a State Party to the Convention.
We also acknowledge the cooperation of that country with the OPCW despite restrictions posed by war and threats by terrorist groups, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Supporting the new approach of the OPCW and Syria to conduct high-level dialogue, we encourage both sides to engage constructively in this process.
It is also obvious that the success of this process requires a calm and apolitical atmosphere, the preservation of which is the responsibility of the international community.
Furthermore, supporting this process can ultimately lead to overcoming the current challenges regarding the Syrian chemical dossier that cannot be addressed otherwise.
As a major victim, in contemporary history, of the most systematic use of chemical weapons, Iran once again condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances.
We also call for the universality of the Convention, and in this context, stress that the Israeli regime must be compelled to immediately accede to the Convention.
Finally, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to actively and constructively contribute to the realization of the objective of the Convention and promoting the authority of the OPCW.
I thank you, Mr. President.