Araqchi, who has traveled to The Hague to attend the annual conference of states parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, held a meeting with OPCW Director General Fernando Arias on Tuesday.
In the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister briefed the OPCW chief on the crimes committed by the Zionist regime in its aggressive attacks on Iran in June and its strikes on industrial facilities under the supervision of the OPCW, calling for due attention to the matter by the organization.
The Zionist regime, which has committed some of the most severe international crimes and has placed international peace and security under serious threat, remains outside the Chemical Weapons Convention, Araqchi warned, emphasizing the responsibility of the international community to hold the Israeli regime accountable.
He also described Iran as the biggest victim of chemical weapons since World War II, reaffirming the Islamic Republic’s determination to pursue the rights of chemical-weapons victims.
Araqchi reminded the international community --especially the countries that had a direct or indirect role in supplying Saddam’s regime with chemical weapons-- of their responsibilities in this regard.
The foreign minister stated that the illegal and unjust sanctions imposed on Iran, and the obstruction of its access to medical and treatment supplies for chemical-warfare survivors, constitute a double injustice against the victims and their families.
He argued that such sanctions amount to crimes against humanity and that the sanctioning parties and those enforcing the sanctions must be held accountable for committing these crimes.
For his part, the OPCW director general emphasizing the organization’s mission to prevent the repetition of past tragedies resulting from the use of chemical weapons, expressing the readiness of the OPCW Secretariat to continue its cooperation with Iran within the organization’s mandate.