On at least one issue—and at least rhetorically—Iran and the United States agree. Both Tehran and Washington are now on the record in calling the use of chemical weapons “a red line.” Iran’s toughening position may reflect its own experience when Saddam Hussein repeatedly used several types of chemical weapons against Iran during the 1980-1988 war launched by Iraq. The United Nations verified at least seven uses of mustard or nerve gasses in specific operations.
On April 30, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said that use of chemical weapons by anyone in Syria is Iran’s “red line.” The United States recently called for a U.N. investigation based on new evidence of sarin gas use in Syria’s civil war. But Salehi reportedly suggested that the rebels might be responsible. Iran accuses Western and Arab countries of fueling the conflict and supporting foreign fighters against President Bashar Assad. The following are excerpted remarks by top leaders on Syria.
Chemical Weapons
“We have always emphasized that using chemical weapons, by anyone, is our red line… [The United Nations should] identify the main culprit behind the use of chemical weapons in the country before it is too late and the situation gets out of control in Syria… We oppose any type of production, stockpiling and use of weapons of mass destruction, and this stance is the clear message and consistent policy of Iran…” Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi to Iranian news media on April 30
“Chemical weapons have been used by the Nusra Front and a number of irresponsible armed groups… We have precise information that some foreign parties have supplied terrorists with their needed possibilities in a bid to help them use chemical arms against the Syrian people and the army to… pave the ground for foreign intervention in Syria.” Deputy Foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to Al Alam TV on April 28
“Westerners accuse the Syrian government of using chemical weapons while such a claim is very ridiculous and fabricated…” Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabdi to Iranian media on April 29
Western and Arab Involvement
“The problem that the people of Syria are facing… is an external problem…We know that because of the intervention of other countries specifically Western countries [and] with the cooperation of the Zionist regime [of Israel] and also some reactionary governments in the region, they are fighting against the people of Syria…” Ali Akbar Velayati, senior foreign affairs advisor to the supreme leader, in an April 29 interview with Press TV
“In Syria, some Arab countries are spending money to make conditions tense, but the nation and government of Syria are resisting…” Revolutionary Guards chief Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani to war veterans on April 16
“Foreign adversaries such as the US and the Zionists, who are sworn enemies of the [Islamic] Revolution [of Iran], and certain Arab countries as well as Turkey are mounting pressure on Syria to overthrow its government before Iran’s election…” Maj.Gen. Yahya Rahim-Safavi to Iranian media on April 27
“Mercenaries and non-Syrian armed forces are deepening the Syrian crisis and unfortunately certain countries are supporting them… If other countries stop supporting mercenaries, the situation in Syria will swiftly progress towards stability…” Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi to Iranian news media on March 2
“The West is trying to “foment discord and turn these movements [Arab uprisings] into bloody sectarian, ethnic and national conflicts. Currently, this plot is being seriously pursued by intelligence services of the West and Zionism with the help of petrodollars and bribed politicians from East Asia to North Africa and particularly in the Arab region…” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to the World Conference of Ulama and Islamic Awakening on April 29
Foreign and “regional players have turned Syria to a haven for extremism and al-Qaida as well as a hub for spreading violence to all the region…” Deputy Foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to Al Alam TV on April 28
“Terrorists are seeking to protect the interests of the United States and Zionists in a bid to crush the spirits of the Syrian nation…” Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabdi to Iranian media on April 29
“Resistance of the Syrian people and government against pressures exerted by the world powers will protect the country against foreigners’ avarice in the future… [Iran] will not allow the [current] foreign conspiracy to undermine the independence and sovereignty of Syria.” Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, to Syria’s ambassador to Iran, Adnan Mahmoud, on April 16
Possible Solutions and the End Game
“The Syrian problem… should be solved by the people of Syria. Those who are supporting the government, those who are against the government should sit together, talk together to have a peaceful solution… The majority [of rebels] are not Syrian people… they are fighting against the people of Syria…” Ali Akbar Velayati, senior foreign affairs advisor to the supreme leader, in an April 29 interview with Press TV
“If you really feel sorry about the ongoing situation in Syria, you should force the opposition to sit at the negotiation table with the Syrian government and put an end to bloodshed… Why do you encourage the opposition to continue these acts of violence?” Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi to Iranian news media on March 2
“A group coming into power through war and conflict will lead to continued war and security problems for a long time…The lack of security in Syria will endanger the security of other countries and will threaten the entire region…” President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to an Egyptian delegation on April 28
Ethnic and Religious Conflict
“Propaganda campaigns of the West and dependent and mercenary media in the region pretend that the destructive war in Syria is a Shia-Sunni conflict, and they create a safety margin for the Zionists and the enemies of resistance in Syria and Lebanon. This is while the two sides of the conflict in Syria are not Shia and Sunni, rather they are the supporters and opponents of anti-Zionist resistance... [T]hey have managed to make use of religious sentiments of simple-minded people to kindle this deadly fire...” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to the World Conference of Ulama and Islamic Awakening on April 29