This annotated chronology is based on the data sources that follow each entry. Public sources often provide conflicting information on classified military programs. In some cases we are unable to resolve these discrepancies, in others we have deliberately refrained from doing so to highlight the potential influence of false or misleading information as it appeared over time. In many cases, we are unable to independently verify claims. Hence in reviewing this chronology, readers should take into account the credibility of the sources employed here.

Inclusion in this chronology does not necessarily indicate that a particular development is of direct or indirect proliferation significance. Some entries provide international or domestic context for technological development and national policymaking. Moreover, some entries may refer to developments with positive consequences for nonproliferation.

1988
Spain supplies Iran with 200,000 respirators.
—Andrew Rathmell, "Iran's Weapons of Mass Destruction," Jane's Intelligence Review – Special Report No. 6, June 1995, p. 15.

1 January 1988
In a review of foreign radio broadcasts, Tehran Radio states, "Last week, the foreign radios spread a lie that our country's Prime Minister, Mr. Musavi, in his budget speech to the Islamic Majlis, had announced that Iran has started manufacturing chemical weapons. The foreign radios rapidly magnified this fabricated news and reflected it across the world." After playing an audio tape of a BBC news report in Persian, Tehran Radio states, "As you heard, the state-controlled BBC radio claims that the Islamic Republic of Iran has begun manufacturing chemical weapons. The state-controlled radio of America [VOA], broadcasting a similar report, also claimed that Iran's prime minister had confessed to manufacturing chemical weapons....[The foreign radios] even went so far that the state-controlled BBC radio claimed that Iran had placed chemical weapons at the disposal of Libya in exchange for a certain type of missile....Such fabrications of foreign radios demonstrate the sinister nature of these radios, which use a fabricated report as a base for fabricating more news."
—"Gulf Affairs in Brief; Iranian Criticism of BBC and VOA on Chemical Weapons Manufacture Reports," Tehran Radio, 1 January 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 5 January 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

3 January 1988
An Afghan rebel being trained in combat tactics at a training camp in Iran comments on CW training he received: "In conducting combat training operations, we were often forced to use chemical weapons [such as] tear gas cartridges and grenades. Once I was severely poisoned. Since that time, my eyes water constantly. Occasionally, when we did not go out at night to the range but stayed in school, chemical weapons alarms were conducted. In various parts of the barracks tear gas grenades exploded and blank cartridges were fired. We had to jump out of bed instantly, put on our masks, grab our weapons, and apply ourselves to perimeter defense. Those who did not manage to put on their gas masks were seriously poisoned." [Note: This report was taken by a Soviet newspaper by an Afghan rebel that defected to the communist Afghan government in Kabul.]
—"Afghan Rebel's Account of Training in Iran," Izvestiya, 3 January 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 16 January 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

5 January 1988
US officials state that Libya has acquired CW from Iran for use against Chad.
—E.A. Wayne, "Libya Seeks Chemical Weapons in War against Chad, US Charges," Christian Science Monitor, 5 January 1988.

11 January 1988
IRNA cites Iranian military communiqué 3078 at 1630 GMT as accusing Iraq of firing shells containing CW at Iranian troops stationed near Sardasht yesterday. The report indicates a few soldiers were injured. This is the first reported CW attack of the year.
—"Iran Claims Destroying Iraq's Missile Launching Pad," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 11 January 1988, item number: 0111001; Daniel J. Silva, United Press International, 12 January 1998; (Anon.), "Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 11 January 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 15 January 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

13 January 1998
Minister Mohsen Rafiqdust of the IRGC states in Tehran, "If the Iraqi regime deploys chemical weapons either against the Muslim combatants or Iranian civilians, the Islamic Republic would be forced to resort to chemical warfare against enemy forces....Iran has a high capability for producing these arms."
—IRNA, 14 January 1998, FBIS,15 January 1998.

14 January 1988
During a televised news conference today, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Minister Raiqdust commented on the lack of meaningful action by the international community to end Iraq's use of CW. He states that "this time if chemical weapons are deployed against us, we will not hesitate to teach the enemy a telling lesson." IRNA reported his comments as saying the "Islamic Republic would be forced to resort to chemical warfare," and that Iran has a "high capability for producing these arms."
—"Iran's Guards Corps Minister Warns of Retaliatory Use of Chemical Weapons," Islamic Republic News Agency, 14 January 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 16 January 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

19 January 1988
US intelligence sources report that US allies were among the states that exported a total of $1.5 billion in military equipment to Iran in 1987. The largest supplier of arms to Iran in 1987 was China, which shipped $600 million worth of artillery, ammunition, and Silkworm missiles. China also reportedly sold industrial machinery needed to indigenously produce weapons to Iran. North Korea sold $400 million in military hardware to Iran in 1987, including artillery, fast patrol boats, and Soviet-design Scud surface-to-surface missiles. Spain and Portugal sent $150 million worth of military equipment to Iran; Japanese firms $100 million in spare parts and trucks; West German and Swiss firms chemical warfare defensive gear; and Warsaw Pact countries $340 million worth of military hardware. Available sources show no evidence of Soviet arms transfers to Iran. The totals were compiled as part of an updated Pentagon analysis of foreign military transactions with Iran.
—John M. Broder, "US Allies Took Part in '87 Arms Sales to Iran," Los Angeles Times, 20 January 1988, p. 5.

30 January 1988
During a meeting with the Soviet Ambassador in Tehran, Rafsanjani praises the British Foreign Office report that states Iraq started the war with Iran, was the first to attack commercial shipping, and was the first to deploy chemical weapons. He states that Iran has yet to use chemical weapons.
—"Iran's Rafsanjani's Meeting with the Soviet Ambassador on Resolution 598 and Afghanistan," Tehran Radio, 30 January 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 2 February 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

February 1988
Iran begins domestic production of Deraksh-6, a chemical decontamination and anti-chemical bomb system. It is manufactured by the Isfahan Construction Jihad.
—Jean Pascal Zanders, "Iranian Use of Chemical Weapons: A Critical Analysis of Past Allegations," at a talk at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Washington, DC, 7 March 2001, <http://cns.miis.edu/cns/dc/030701.htm >.

February 1988
A Kuwaiti press release states, "'Iran has officially decided to use poisonous gases, including units equipped with nerve gas, in a major offensive in the Basra marshes to come at the end of March."
—Kuwait KUNA in English, 26 February 1988; FBIS Document.

February 1988
The Italian magazine Panorama allegedly charges, "China had supplied Iran with chemical materials and other poisonous gases for military uses," including mustard and other "chemical gases" in January and February of this year.
—Kuwait KUNA (in English), 26 February 1988, FBIS Document, 29 February 1988. [Note: The original source for this, the article in Panorama, could not be located.]

February 1988
China denies the accusations.
—KUNA (in Arabic), 9 March 1988, 10 March 1988; FBIS Document.

3 February 1988
"The second and most modern decontamination and anti-chemical bombing system, known as Deraksh 6, has been manufactured by the experts of the War Support and Engineering Headquarters of the Esfahan Construction Jihad....One of the designers of this equipment [states]...'In view of the experience gained during the past few years in the construction of equipment for neutralizing chemical bombs, we have succeeded in preventing damage inflicted on the fighters through enemy chemical bombing. However, in view of the length of the fronts and the existence of lofty heights, especially on the western fronts, we decided to manufacture more modern equipment with greater and better application. Recently this equipment has been manufactured and made ready for use, and its mass production as already started.' He said, 'this equipment comprises a container with a capacity of 1,000 liters, and a limiter system, which can be filled with surface water, and two exit pipes which installed by means of a pylon and a flexible hose in the back of the vehicle, which can completely empty all the contents of the tank in four minutes. Another characteristic of this equipment is that it can directly use the power of vehicle engines, and the gearbox installed on the equipment, which can transfer the contents to the pumps, through which one can direct the contents with a greater range at the bombed areas.'"
—"Iran Gives Details of Anti-Chemical Weapons System," Tehran Radio, 3 February 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 4 February 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

12 February 1988
West German government representatives apparently reached a deal to exchange hostages Rudolf Cordes, a German, and Terry Anderson, an American, for either Mohammed Ali Hamadei (awaiting trial for the 1985 TWA hijacking and the murder of a US Navy diver) or his brother, Abdul Hadi Hamadei (security chief of Hizballah), along with $3 million in ransom and proof that 17 convicted Shiite bombers held in Kuwaiti jails are in good health. However, Iran reportedly stepped in at the last moment and ruined the deal by demanding that on top of those concessions West Germany would need to supply Iran with CW technology, weapons, money, and future political concessions.
—"W. German Seized in Beirut; Abduction Linked to Hamadei Trial," Facts on File World News Digest, 12 February 1988, p. 80, E1.

24 February 1988
Jane's Defense Weekly reports that with Syrian help, Iran is capable of producing CW.
—Daniel J. Silva, "Iraq Claims Iran Lacks Volunteer Troops," United Press International, 24 February 1988.

March 1988
Iran has CW plants in operation at Damghan and Parchin.
—Anthony H. Cordesman and Ahmed S. Hashim, Iran: Dilemmas of Dual Containment (Westview Press, 1997), p. 291.

March 1988
Anthony Cordesman claims that "reports [are uncertain] that Iran had chemical weapons plants at Damghan and Parchin that began operation as early as March, 1988, and may have begun to test fire Scuds with chemical warheads as early as 1988-1989."
—Anthony H. Cordesman, "The Military Balance in the Middle East – WMD: Part XIV," 16 March 1999, p. 35.

March 1988
According to Israeli intelligence sources, Iran acquires several dozen Soviet-made ground-to-ground SS-21 missiles that put all of Iraq's oil-production centers within Iranian firing range. The missiles are sufficiently accurate to strike Iraqi troop concentrations with poison gas without creating the fear that a misfire could hit Iran's own forces.
—Charles Fenyvesi, "Scary SS-21's," US News & World Report, p. 21.

3 March 1988
The Iranian Ambassador to Japan states that "if Iraq had been punished for starting the war or for development of chemical weapons, we believe the new [attacks on civilian targets in Iranian cities] would not have happened....Japan should not follow a wait-and-see policy and follow the majority."
—"Iran Asks Japan to Condemn Iraq for Attacks," Japan Economic Newswire, 3 March 1988.

4 March 1988
US and Dutch authorities last weekend confiscated a cargo of CW [precursors?] being diverted through Europe to Iran from the US
—Warren Richey, "Missile Miscalculation in Gulf War?" Christian Science Monitor, 4 March 1988, p. 10.

9 March 1988
The Chinese Embassy in Kuwait denies reports in the media that China has supplied Iran with CW. A statement handed to the press "categorically denies these reports and affirms that they have no basis in truth and are mere tendentious calumnies."
—"China Denies Supplying Chemical Weapons to Iran," Kuna, 9 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 22 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

12 March 1988
IRNA reports that five people were wounded yesterday when an Iraqi plane dropped CW bombs on the village of Garmab, near Bakhtaran.
—"Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 12 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 18 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1; Daniel J. Silva, United Press International, 15 March 1988.

14 March 1988
Iran urges the UN in a letter to the Secretary General to take "effective and immediate measures" to halt Iraq's CW attacks and other immoral actions against Iran. It also rebuked the UN for its "unjustifiable silence and indifference" to Iraq's "savage crimes." Iran claims Iraq used CW against civilian targets on 11 March and condemned the "passive and aloof reaction of the UN" as having "caused the continuation and escalation of Iraqi war crimes." Unless the UN acts, Iran will "forcefully resort to appropriate and effective retaliatory measures in our defense."
—"Iran Urges Strong UN Action to Curb Iraqi Attacks," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 15 January 1988, item number: 0315012.

16-18 March 1988
According to a study conducted by the Pentagon, Iran uses CW (in addition to Iraq), most likely cyanogen chloride, during an attack on the Kurdish village of Halabja, Iraq. The attack begins on 15 March with the Iranian Val Fajr-10 offensive. According to US intelligence findings, Iran drops more than fifty artillery shells and aerial bombs loaded with cyanide on the village. Iraq uses CW, including mustard, extensively in this attack.
—Patrick E. Tyler, "Both Iraq and Iran Gassed Kurds in War, US Analysis Finds," Washington Post, 3 May 1990, p. A3; Gregory F. Giles, "The Islamic Republic of Iran and Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons," in Peter R. Lavoy, Scott D. Sagan, and James J. Wirtz (Ed.), Planning the Unthinkable: How New Powers Will Use Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2000), p. 91; Anthony H. Cordesman, "Iranian Chemical and Biological Weapons," CSIS Middle East Dynamic Net Assessment, 30 July 1997, p. 20.

16-18 March 1988
Ali Shafii, a spokesman from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), accuses Iraq of using chemical weapons in Halabja: "The Iraqis, using planes and artillery equipped with chemical weapons releasing mustard gas, cyanide and other types, caused 5,000 innocent people of Halabja and the area to die." Iranian authorities claim that their own troops survived by wearing gas masks. Iran's parliament Speaker, Hashemi Rafsanjani, declares, "We have the technology to produce chemical weapons and, although we have not exploited this yet, we will not remain idle forever."
—Andrew Bilski, Maclean's, 4 April 1988, p.18.

16-18 March 1988
According to Iraq, 88 of its soldiers were wounded in the Iranian attack on Halabja.
—"Fifteen Iraqi soldiers Flown to London, Vienna for Treatment," Associated Press, 11 April 1988. [Note: It is uncertain how these Iraqi soldiers were wounded. Some reports indicate that they may have potentially been injured through Iraq's own use of CW in this attack.]

16-18 March 1988
Facts on File reports the sequence of events as follows: Iran claims to have taken the town of Halabja as part of a three-pronged offensive by its forces and Kurdish fighters. Iraqi government forces collapsed and were taken prisoner after a battle around the town of Dojaila. At that point, the Iraqi garrison was apparently "arrested" by Dojaila's Kurdish population. Some survivors of the fighting claim that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan had encircled Halabja. Western experts claim that the Kurdish role in the capture of the town might explain why the chemical attack occurred, especially since it was punitive rather than tactical in nature. Accounts of both survivors and Iranian officials agreed that Iraqi warplanes bombed the town with a combination of conventional and chemical weapons between 16-17 March. Some of the victims included Iranian Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) troops who had just entered the town when the Iraqi aircraft began bombing the town with CW. Most of the Iranians survived uninjured because of CW protective gear. The US states that Iran also may have used CW in attacking Halabja, however, according to Facts on File, this is the only claim that Iran used CW in Halabja.
—"Iraqi Poison Gas Attack Kills Kurds in Iraqi Town; Town Bombed After Capture by Iran," Facts on File, 1 April 1988, p. 215, F2.

16-18 March 1988
Robert Pelletiere, a former CIA analyst, claims that Iran gassed the villagers of Halabja on 15 March before entering the city.
—Knut Royce, "Pattern of Exaggeration on Iraq Seen by Sources," Newsday, 10 October 1988.

16 March 1988
IRNA reports at 1800 GMT that Iraq has bombed Halabja with CW which meant that "some 4,000 residents...were killed."
—"Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 17 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 23 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

16-17 March 1988
IRNA claims that Iraqi planes attacked Kurdish villages near Marivan with CW on 16 and 17 March, killing an unspecified number of civilians.
—"Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 18 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 23 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

17 March 1988
Iran claims that it seized two border towns in northeast Iraq despite heavy Iraqi CW counterattacks. Tehran Radio claims that Iraqi forces used chemical bombs against the Iraqi cities of Dojaila and Halabja, "killing many defenseless residents." The report states that 4,000 civilians in Halabja alone have been killed in the Iraqi CW attacks on 16 March.
—Martin Marris, "Iraqi Missile Strikes Tehran, Iran Says it Seized Two Border Towns," Associated Press, 17 March 1988.

17 March 1988
Tehran Radio reports that the "Iraqi regime, totally disappointed because of repeated defeats," had resorted to using CW against Halabja and Dojaila.
—"Iran Gulf War Iran 'Liberates' More Towns; Khomeyni Comments on Missile Attacks," Tehran Radio, 17 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 18 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

17 March 1988
Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati implores the International Committee of the Red Cross to investigate Iraq's CW attacks in Kurdistan. IRNA claims that Iraqi aircraft repeatedly bombed Halabja and Dojaila with CW as well as cluster bombs on 17 March, killing or wounding "scores of innocent Kurdish women, children, and aged people."
—"Iran Sets Condition for Halting Attacks on Iraqi Cities," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 18 March 1988, item number: 0318245.

17 March 1988
IRNA reports the arrival this week in Sanandaj, Kurdistan (Iran) of close to 9,000 Kurdish refugees, all from the villages in Sulaimaniyah in northwestern Iraq. Abdullah Mohammad Ali, one of the Kurdish refugees tells IRNA that Saddam began launching a large attack against the towns in the region ten days ago due to the presence of Iranian troops and Iraqi Mojahedin. He states this attack included CW attacks on the villages of the region.
—"Iran: In Brief; Arrival of Iraqi Kurdish Refugees," Islamic Republic News Agency, 17 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 19 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

17 March 1988
At 1636 GMT, Khatam ol-Anbiya HQ communiqué reports the "liberation" of Halabja in the face of Iraqi "chemical bombs."
—"Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 17 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 23 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

17-18 March 1988
IRNA reports that on 17 and 18 March, Iraqi planes attacked the towns of Nowsud and Marivan with mustard gas bombs, killing an unspecified number of civilians. IRNA claims that Iraqi planes attacked Kurdish villages near Marivan with CW on 16 and 17 March, killing an unspecified number of civilians.
—"Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 19 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 23 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

18 March 1988
IRNA states that "the wounded are being evacuated to hospitals behind the frontlines by the liberating forces," while thousands more Kurdish refugees were fleeing across the border to Iran. While IRNA reports that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) captured the town, killing and wounding 8,000 Iraqi troops and capturing an additional 3,400 more, a Kurdish rebel group allied with Iran gave a different story. In a telephone call from Tehran, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan spokesman states that Kurdish rebels had captured the town of Halabja on 15 March. He states that the Iraqis then attacked Halabja as well as neighboring towns on 16 March with napalm and CW, wounding and killing thousands.
—Reuters, "Iran Claims Capture of Border Town," Toronto Star, 18 March 1988 p. A15.

18 March 1988
Tehran Radio reports that the Kurdish Democratic Party states that Iraq used phosphorous and cluster bombs in and around Halabja, killing and wounding a multitude of people.
—"Iran Claims More Territory 'Liberated' in Iraqi Kurdistan," Tehran Radio, 18 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 19 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

20 March 1988
IRNA claims Iraq used cyanide, mustard, and unidentified nerve agents in the attacks on Kurdish population centers in northwestern Iraq "to prevent the people from joining Iranian combatants." IRNA goes on to quote Iranian Foreign Minister Velayati as informing the UN Secretary General that 5,000 Kurdish civilians were dead from the CW attack. He reportedly criticizes the UN for not stopping Iraq's use of CW earlier in the war. Iran states that it has airlifted 1,000 Kurds to hospitals in Tehran to receive medical treatment and as called upon the Red Cross and other similar organizations for humanitarian aid.
—Ed Blanche, "Iran Claims Iraqi Chemical Attack Kills 5,000; Iraq Reports Missile Attack," Associated Press, 20 March 1988.

20 March 1988
An Iraqi military communiqué states that it successfully captured the mountain headquarters of Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which it accused of having helped Iran to capture Halabja and other villages in northwestern Iraq.
—Reuters, "Iraq Claims Direct Hit on Strategic Oil Target," Toronto Star, 20 March 1988 p. A2.

20 March 1988
Tehran Radio reports that Iraqi forces have deployed cyanide, mustard, and nerve gasses more than 20 times against Kurdish towns and villages in northeastern Iraq in its recent campaign against the Kurds. Iran's Foreign Minister claims that 5,000 Kurds have been killed and 4,000 more have been injured by CW used against the towns of Halabja and Khurmal on 18 March.
—"Gulf War Missiles and Land Battles; Iraqi Raid Kharg," Tehran Radio, 20 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 21 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

20 March 1988
Iran's Consul General in Hyderabad states that hundreds of Iranian civilians or border towns have been killed and wounded in recent days by Iraqi CW. He requests help from Indian doctors in treating the CW victims.
—"Other Reports; Iran Seeks Help from India for Chemical Weapon Victims," New Delhi Home Service, 20 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 22 March 1988, Part 3, p. A1.

21 March 1988
Iran's permanent representative to the UN, Mohammad Jaafar Mahallati, informs a news conference that the Iraqi air force has been dropping cluster bombs, mustard gas, nerve gas, and cyanide on Kurdish towns in Northeastern Iraq since 17 March. He claims it is "the most extensive use of nerve gas on record," with the hardest hit areas being the city of Halabja and the villages of Dojaila and Khorma. He states that the attacks are continuing and that they are a "turning point in the use of chemical warfare anywhere in the world. It is an act of genocide by the Iraqi regime against its own people. It is an act defined as a crime against humanity." Mahallati demands the Security Council "immediately condemn Iraq's use of chemical warfare, call for an immediate end to such practice, and immediately dispatch a mission to investigate." He also asked that the Security Council convene a session solely on the topic of Iraq's CW usage "independently from other war issues." He claims that as many as 5,000 civilians killed and an equal number of people wounded.
—"Iran Asks UN to Investigate Iraq's Use of Chemical Weapons," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 21 March 1988, item number: 0321023; Jamal Halaby, "Jordan Asks Arabs to Support Rebellion against Israel," Associated Press, 21 March 1988; "Iran Says Iraq Killed 5,000 with Gas," United Press International, 21 March 1988.

21 March 1988
Iran puts wounded Iraqi civilians on display to reporters so they can document their CW-related injuries. News sources described the "peeling skin, raw pinkish blotches and labored breathing" and said that Iranian doctors attributed the injuries to mustard gas, and possibly phosgene and other chemicals as well. Ahmad Karim, a 58-year-old street vendor from Halabja states that "we saw the [Iraqi] planes come and use chemical bombs. I smelled something like insecticide." Dr. H. Sohrab Pour states that "Mustard gas certainly has been used, and also some agent causing long-term damage." He states that 159 injured people had been brought to his hospital since 18 March – with 67 of them still receiving treatment.
—Reuters-Associated Press, "Iraq Using Chemicals on Civilians, Iran Claims," Toronto Star, 22 March 1988 p. A3.

21 March 1988
Iran charges in a letter to the UN Secretary General that Iraq attacked three more Iranian villages with CW on 18 March. The letter reiterated Iran's "urgent request" for a UN team to be sent to investigate the attacks.
—"UN Chief Appeals a New End to Gulf Hostilities," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 22 March 1988, item number: 0322197.

21 March 1988
Iran boycotts the 17th conference of foreign ministers of member states of the Islamic Conference Organization that opened in Amman, Jordan today. Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati refused to attend due to Jordan's support for Iraq in the war. Velayati instead sent a message to the organization's Secretary General outlining the recent Iraqi CW attacks on Halabja and Khurmal and expressing Iran's displeasure with the organizations refusal to condemn the attacks.
—"ICO Meeting Opens in Amman; Iranian Boycott," Tehran Radio, 22 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 23 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

22 March 1988
IRNA reports that Iraqi aircraft bombarded three Iranian villages near the border towns of Marivan and Sardasht with CW this morning, killing and wounding numerous people. Iran's Interior Minister Ali Akbar Mohtashami sends a message to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees accusing Iraq of using CW in Kurdish areas of northeastern Iraq, causing thousands of people to seek shelter in Iran. He calls upon international organizations to break their silence and condemn the attacks.
—"Iran Accuses Iraq of Dropping Chemical Bombs," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 22 March 1988, item number: 0322160; "Iraqi Missiles Attack Kills Civilians in Tehran," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 22 March 1988, item number: 0322028.

22 March 1988
According to a different report, four villages in Marivan and two in Sardasht were attacked by CW.
—"Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 22 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 31 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

22 March 1988
Tehran Radio reports that Iraqi planes attacks villages near Marivan with CW for two straight days last week. The Iranian foreign minister cabled the secretary general of the Islamic Conference Organization asking him to denounce "the extensive use of chemical weapons by the Iraqi regime."
—Reuters-Associated Press, "Iran Reports New Iraqi Chemical Bombing of Civilians," Toronto Star, 22 March 1988, p. A3.

22 March 1988
David Hirst reports that according to Iranian officials, Iraqi Mirage fighter planes dropped cyanide on the Kurdish people of Halabja. Dr. Sayyid Furutan says that "one bomb holds a hundred liters and on a cold day the vapor can quickly spread 500 meters. These people had no chance," he says as he pointed to what remained of a cyanide-carrying bomb. He goes on to state that in other areas of the town, planes dropped nerve gas along with mustard. "You can save the victims of nerve gas if you treat them quickly, and we saved many." However, the mustard gas injured many people. Hirst and other reporters visited a hospital in Bakhtaran where some of the victims less seriously injured are receiving treatment. More seriously injured victims have been transferred to Tehran where the Azadi stadium has been converted to allow treatment of the victims. All of the victims, numbering in the thousands, are reportedly Iraqi Kurdish civilians except for a handful of Iranian soldiers who did not don their gas masks in time. An Iranian journalist reported that he had observed the Kurdish townspeople of Halabja "hiding in the tobacco factory after we had entered the town without a shot being fired." He states that he had "wondered what they were all doing" until 6:30 pm when Iraqi Mirage fighter planes attacked the town with CW. [Note: There has been no confirmation that hydrogen cyanide or cyanogen chloride were used by either Iraq or Iran against targets in Kurdistan or elsewhere.]
—David Hirst, "Iran Puts Dead on Show after Gas Raid: The Kurdish Victims Caught Unaware by Cyanide," Toronto Star, 22 March 1988.

23 March 1988
US State Department spokesman Charles Redman says with regard to the Iraqi use of CW on the Kurdish village of Halabja, "There are indications that Iran may also have used chemical artillery shells in this fighting." He did not provide any specific details about what the "indications" were. Redman did, however, mention that both Iran and Iraq were able to produce CW indigenously, and that both countries were trying to stockpile CW. Redman states that the United States "calls upon Iraq and Iran to desist immediately from any further use of chemical weapons, which are an offense to civilization and humanity." When asked to provide evidence of Iranian CW use, Redman responds that he was "not prepared to go into the kind of evidence we have." US officials state that both combatants can produce CW indigenously. An unnamed US official, however, claimed that the evidence of Iraqi CW use at Halabja was far more convincing than that of Iranian use there.
—David Ottaway, "US Decries Iraqi Use of Chemical Weapons; 'Grave Violation' of International Law Cited," Washington Post, 24 March 1998, p. A37.

23 March 1988
The Special Security Office of the US Defense Intelligence Agency states, "Most of the casualties in Halabja were reportedly caused by cyanogen chlorine [chloride]. This agent has never been used by Iraq, but Iran has shown interest in it. Mustard gas casualties in the town were probably caused by Iraqi weapons because Iran has never been noted using that agent."
—Quoted in Jean Pascal Zanders, "Iranian Use of Chemical Weapons: A Critical Analysis of Past Allegations," presentation at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Washington, DC, 7 March 2001, <http://cns.miis.edu/cns/dc/030701.htm>.

23 March 1988
The United States, Iran, and the Red Cross condemn Iraq for launching a CW attack against its Kurdish population last week. Iraq immediately denies attacking Kurdish villages with CW and instead blames Iran for the massacre. Meanwhile, Iran has escorted foreign media to the scene of the attacks. IRNA reports that Iraqi planes dropped CW munitions on "innocent and defenseless Kurdish inhabitants in Iranian liberated towns and villages in northeastern Iraq last week." IRNA reports the attacks killed 5,000 and wounded 5,000 more with the dead suffering "from burns on their eyes, faces, hands, feet and lungs, as well as disturbances in their nervous systems."
—United Press International, 23 March 1988.

23 March 1988
At Iranian War Information Headquarters Minister, Kamal Kharrazi blames the UN Security Council for not stepping in earlier to prevent Iraqi use of CW. While addressing a press conference, Kharrazi states that the "indifferent attitude" of the Security Council would limit its chances of leading Gulf War peace efforts. He further warns that even though Iran has decided against using CW thus far, it would be forced to reconsider this self-imposed ban should the Security Council remain silent on the issue.
—"Iran Fires Five Missiles into Iraqi Cities," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 23 March 1988, item number: 0323034.

23 March 1988
Kharrazi, in response to a question posed by a BBC correspondent about a possible Iranian retaliation using CW, states that "we have the capability to do this. However, the Islamic Republic of Iran's use of chemical weapons depends on the reaction of the Security Council to this Iraqi action. We have not yet taken a definite decision in this respect but if no important step is taken to stop Iraq using chemical weapons, then we will be forced to defend ourselves."
—"Iran Prepared to use Chemical Weapons," British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 25 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

23 March 1988
Kharrazi states, "We haven't taken any decision yet" on using chemical weapons. "But as long as the international community refuses to condemn Iraq using chemical weapons against towns and villages we may be forced to do so....We think that some members of the Security Council may have been involved in the attacking of Iranian cities and may also have been involved in the planning of chemical warfare attacks against the captured Kurdish town in Iraq of Halabja. The Security Council is more worried that Iraq will be defeated than that its crimes will be punished."
—Paul Koring, "Iran Raises Possibility of Using Poison Gas," The Globe and Mail (Toronto), 24 March 1988, p. A14.

23 March 1988
Iran states the cyanide that hit Halabja was delivered by 100-liter containers that vaporized the gas on impact. Doctors on the scene say that evidence clearly shows that cyanide was used along with mustard and nerve gas (although what this evidence was precisely is still unknown). Reporters taken to the scene of the attack were issued gas masks and medical kits as a precautionary measure by Iranian officials for fear of another Iraqi attack. Iran claims that the town was hit in three waves of gas attacks, beginning on 16 March in the afternoon and continuing into the next day. Iran states that cyanide was used over large portions of the city, while mustard and nerve gas were deployed in other districts. Iran states that most of its Revolutionary Guards and thousands of Halabja citizens had already left the town before the first bombing raid. However, up to half of the town's population appear to have still been in the town when the first bombs fell.
—"Iraqi Gas Leaves 'a Modern Pompeii'," Washington Times, 23 March 1988, p. 1A.

24 March 1988
Hashemi Rafsanjani warns that Iran will have no other choice but to retaliate with chemical weapons if Iraqi CW attacks continue. The Associated Press (AP) states that "the intensity of Tehran's accusations against Iraq in recent days has heightened fears that the Iranians may be seeking to justify using chemical weapons of their own." The AP quotes Don Kerr of the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London as stating that "it's entirely likely that the Iranians could do so. They've had these weapons used against them for a long time." The AP notes that since 1984, Iran has accused Iraq of using CW against them on more than 100 occasions–primarily against Iranian troops. According to the AP, "Iran's chief military spokesman, Kamal Kharrazi, has said this country is producing chemical weapons." The analysts and diplomatic sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Iranian chemical weapons are believed to be mainly mustard and phosgene gases. Kerr noted, "These are relatively simple to manufacture from readily available industrial components, as is hydrogen cyanide. Only the more complex nerve gases are likely to pose a chemical challenge to the Iranians."
—Ed Blanche, "Chemical Warfare Threat Mounts in Gulf War," Associated Press, 24 March 1988.

24 March 1988
Hashemi Rafsanjani states on Tehran Radio that "we asked the UN to send experts to the Halabja region to inspect the effects of the chemical weapons. If the international organizations refuse to take any step to punish Iraq, we shall not remain idle. We have the technology to produce chemical weapons, and although we have not exploited this yet, we will not remain idle forever."
—Mona Ziade, "More Missiles Fired into Cities; Iran Threatens Chemical War," Associated Press, 24 March 1988.

24 March 1988
At a press conference, Rafsanjani states that "We are discontented with the UN Secretary General because he has not done his duty in preventing the Iraqis from using chemical weapons and attacking Iranian cities."
—"Iran to Send Envoy to Meet UN Chief," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 24 March 1988, item number: 0324207.

24 March 1988
At a press conference, Rafsanjani states, "I want to thank the correspondents for having taken the trouble to go to Halabjah, and thus having started to reflect this calamity to the world. The events of the past two or three weeks are clearly unprecedented and worthy of serious consideration. Possibly the fact that the allegiance of the occupied cities' residents was entirely to the conquering forces and that they were very happy to see these forces enter cities is a rare or even unprecedented phenomenon. It is interesting to note that these cities were within the range of the Islamic Republic's artillery and that very recently Saddam [Husayn] had alleged that we were shelling them with our artillery. Had the residents of these cities been harmed by our artillery, they would not have displayed such sincere feelings towards us. Perhaps it is also unprecedented that the ruler of these cities so cruelly bombed his own people because they did not co-operate with his forces. The surprising thing is that the news media and world observers, and especially governments, do not consider these to be important points. History will judge the calamity of the chemical bombing of Halabjah and surrounding cities, and will put the military, political, and propaganda powers of today's world on trial. If Iraq had been punished last year when it used chemical weapons, as the UN also confirmed, this calamity would not have taken place....We asked the UN to send experts to inspect the calamity. But we see that in the UN and Security Council, the USA and France are preventing the dispatch of UN experts. By claiming that Iran may have also used chemical weapons, the Americans have cast the first shadow of doubt. However, the facts are so strong that whoever tries to raise doubts will have only disgraced himself."

Rafsanjani, in response to a question posed by a reporter on whether Iran would retaliate with CW if the international community remains silent on the issue, replies, "With the presence of correspondents in the operational theatre, we see, more or less, that the silence has been broken and that, fortunately, reports and reactions are [accumulating]. If this trend continues, it will be effective. But if appropriate organizations do not take steps, naturally we cannot sit idly by and witness the continuation of these crimes. We have stated previously that we do have the technology to manufacture chemicals and all the types of gases being used now. Fortunately, so far we have been able to restrain ourselves and not use them. But there is no guarantee that this restraint will continue forever."

A reporter further asks Rafsanjani to comment on the US condemnation of the Iraqi attack. Rafsanjani states, "I, too, read these reports today. We thank the USA for having condemned this. However, it has also committed an unpious act. While condemning this, they have said that it is alleged that Iran has also used chemical shells in the region. This is a lie. They should present facts. Also, they did not clearly refer to Iraq. They should explicitly condemn this crime by Iraq. Any weakness in condemnation will make Iraq bolder. I do not think there is the least doubt that this crime was carried out by Iraq intentionally and mischievously, and against its own people. We have a document proving that one of the Iraqi regional officers informed Baghdad that the region's people had been asked to take up arms and to fight the Iranians but that they refused to do so; thus, they should be punished. The answer from Baghdad was that they would soon be punished; and their punishment was what you, the correspondents, saw in the streets of Halabjah, in the hospitals and in the convalescent centers. This should be clearly, explicitly and decisively condemned. Meanwhile, it should be pointed out that condemnation so weak is not enough. Action should be taken against the aggressor; and this is what various countries are expected to do."

When asked about whether there is only a military solution to end the war, Rafsanjani states, "We intend to send someone to the UN for talks with the Secretary-General. But we have a recent bone to pick with the Secretary-General too, because he has not carried out the duty assigned to him by the UN to send an expert on chemical affairs to the region, even though we have heard that the USA and France have obstructed this. Moreover, the convention on massacres, which should be invoked now in view of the massacre of the Halabjah people, has not been invoked. The Secretary General should work on that. Also, he has not displayed the necessary decisiveness as far as the war of the cities is concerned and as a duty that he shoulders. At any rate, we will send someone to the UN."

Finally, an IRNA reporter asks, "Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani, despite the visit by my foreign colleagues to the fronts, as well as to Tehran hospitals, the Iraqi ambassador in London alleged last night that it was Iran that chemically bombed Halabjah. In your remarks, Your Excellency referred to a document on this. Is this a written document? Will you publish this document? Or was it heard from the POWs?" Rafsanjani replies, "We will study the document. If its publication is not contrary to military interests, we will publish it. As for the allegation by the Iraqis, this is extremely ridiculous and impudent. Now the Western correspondents are in our country. They have met the victims of the war, the victims of the chemical war in Halabjah. The interesting point is that we granted permission and told the Halabjah people that anyone who wants to go to Iraq can do so. But none of them [were] prepared to do so. Our proposal still applies. Any of the Iraqi people who have come recently to Iran from Halabjah and that region will be handed over to the International Red Cross if they want to return to Iraq. Our revolutionary guards, too, were poisoned by chemicals. Some of them were martyred, too, beside the Halabjah people. Let the correspondents and the experts see the films shot before the bombing. Iraq has made the same allegation before. UN experts came and stated that Iraq was lying. This time, too, Iraq is opposing their coming. Documents are so strong and clear that there can be no doubt. Well, Iraq is used to perpetrating crimes and refuting them, and it lacks the courage to take responsibility for its crimes. Unfortunately, it has the ear of its mentors, and this stems from the absence of conscience among these mentors. It is interesting and it should be interesting for you to know that we stopped the operations and our advance in order to save the oppressed people of the region. We deployed our hospital facilities, our helicopter transportation and other facilities, to save the people, and we were able to save several tens of thousands of people between 30,000 and 40,000 people from the region, bringing them into Iran. Ask Iraq what it has done to protect its own people."
—"Iran: Rafsanjani News Conference on Iraqi Chemical Warfare, Hostages in Lebanon," Tehran Television, 24 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 26 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

24 March 1988
The Associated Press reports that IRNA claimed earlier this week that eight towns in northwestern Iran have been hit with Iraqi aerial CW attacks, causing numerous civilian casualties.
—Ed Blanche, "Iran and Iraq Trade Missile Attacks; Iran Claims New Offensive," Associated Press, 24 March 1988.

24 March 1988
In its lead article, The Guardian reports on a news conference given by the Iraqi ambassador to London and casts doubt on the claims he made that Iran, not Iraq, was the culprit in the Halabja CW massacre. The paper reports that "we are somewhat better placed than the ambassador to assess the likely origin and effects of the bombing because our own David Hirst was in a group of western reporters taken to Halabja this week by Iranians....Unfortunately for [the ambassador], the only participant in the Gulf War shown by repeated UN investigations to have used chemical weapons is Iraq. Iran did announce last December that it had begun to make 'sophisticated offensive chemical weapons.' But there is no evidence that it has yet done so....Even the Iranian leadership is not eccentric enough to liquidate its own supporters on its most promising front, where its ground-forces and their allies have the Iraqis on the defensive over a wide area."
—"Leading Article: The Town Where Thousands Died," The Guardian (London), 24 March 1988.

24 March 1988
The Guardian reports that "there is little doubt that the Iranian and Kurdish versions of the tragedy are essentially correct....The attack on Halabja comes in the wake of persistent Kurdish claims that dozens of villages and towns have been attacked in this manner over recent years. Kurds on the Iranian side have not been spared; 100 people died and 2,000 were injured in an Iraqi attack on the Iranian border town of Sardasht on 28 June 1987, according to Iranian reports, and several nearby villages suffered further casualties in fresh attacks this week....Iran announced late in 1986 that it had developed its own chemical warfare technology, and was awaiting a political decision because Iran's war is ideological; I want to 'set an Islamic example' and win over fellow Moslems, especially those in Iraq. Iran's self-proclaimed principles are likely to be severely tested in the coming months, particularly if its troops make further inroads into Iraq."
—Vahe Petrossian, "Iraq's Weapons of Terror: The Course of the War," The Guardian (London), 24 March 1988.

24 March 1988
Reuters reports that during a tour of Halabja, its reporter notes that Iranian officials and local survivors claim that Iraqi forces repeatedly bombed the town with on 16 March, one day after Iranian forces took the town, and that the Iraqis also used CW against the towns inhabitants. Iranian doctors report that the wax-like appearance of some of the dead indicates cyanide poisoning. [Note: This reported condition of corpses at Halabja seems to have formed the basis for the claims that cyanide was used. In fact, this condition is not pathognomonic evidence for cyanide intoxication.]

In the neighboring village of Anap, more bodies were strewn across the town, hanging out of cars and lying on the street. Some of the bodies had turned black. An Iranian Revolution Guard spokesman reports that "the Iraqis, using planes and artillery equipped with chemical weapons releasing mustard gas, cyanide and other types, caused 5,000 innocent people of Halabja and the area to die." According to Reuters, "some survivors said a single warplane appeared from the west at 2 p.m. last Wednesday [16 March] and dropped one or more chemical bombs that dispersed a deadly yellow-and-white cloud. A middle-aged man, one of the handful of people still living on the outskirts of the town, told reporters, "The Iranians came here and we welcomed them. Then, about noon time, the [Iraqi] bombardment came. Everybody was killed. I saw a cloud. I saw gas." Iranian military officials told Western journalists that two Iraqi pilots, whose jets were shot down during the battle, had acknowledged Iraq was responsible for the chemical attack.
—Patrick Worsnip, "Iraq Accused of Chemical Warfare as Thousands Die in Kurdish Town," Reuters, reported in Toronto Star, 24 March 1988, A14.

24 March 1988
Facts on File reports that Iran displays 3,000 captured Iraqi soldiers being held at a soccer stadium. Two Iraqi officers are presented at a news conference who claimed they witnessed the CW attack. Brig. Gen. Nather Hussein Mustafa claimed that he was three miles from the town when three Iraqi planes dropped CW bombs on the town. He states that following the attack, his Iranian captors gave him a gas mask and took him to see the town's dead.
—"Iraqi Poison Gas Attack Kills Kurds in Iraqi Town; Town Bombed After Capture by Iran," Facts on File, 1 April 1988, p. 215 F2.

24 March 1988
Haj Ali Rasa, a 50-year-old Kurdish resident of Halabja claims, "the white clouds came from the Iraqi planes." The Globe and Mail states that Rasa's account is confirmed by those of other survivors, and that all witness accounts generally corroborate the official Iranian line.
—Paul Koring, "Poison-Gas Attack Leaves City of Dead," Globe and Mail (Toronto), 24 March 1988, p. A1.

25 March 1988
The UN Secretary General confirmed that Iraq was to blame for the CW attacks on Kurdish villages in northeast Iraq last week, which caused "a high number of casualties including civilians in both countries." He states that his conclusion is based upon the "considerable and most serious evidence in the public domain," as well as on reports from the Red Cross. Iran's UN Ambassador again repeats Iran's demand for "the immediate dispatch" of a UN fact-finding team. If the UN failed to do so, he states that Iran would not attend any discussions aimed at ending the war.
—"UN Chief Confirms Iraqi use of Chemical Weapons," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 25 March 1988, item number: 0324207.

25 March 1988
The UN states that it is organizing a two-man team to investigate Iraq's use of CW in the Kurdish communities along the Iraq-Iran border. Iran's UN ambassador denounced the international body for slowly responding to the charges of massive CW attacks by the Iraqis. He states that unless the UN sends a team to investigate, Iran will unlikely participate in any UN efforts to end the war. "It means if the United Nations remains inactive regarding all aspects of the war, a political solution would be more and more difficult. We are losing time. Yet not all chances have died. We sincerely hope the United Nations would somehow rectify the inactiveness." In talks later in the day with the Secretary General, the ambassador states that a UN team will arrive in Iran on Monday." Meanwhile, a Kurdish leader reports that the villages of Seyo and Senan were bombed with CW on 24 March by Iraqi planes, killing at least 50 villagers and wounding numerous others. He appeals for urgent aid from the international community.
—Paul Alexander, "UN to Examine Victims of Chemical Weapons in Iran-Iraq War," Associated Press, 26 March 1988.

25 March 1988
At the Friday prayers at Tehran University, Chief Justice Ayatollah Musavi Ardebili states that Iranians are waiting to see how Iraq's allies on the UN Security Council respond to the Iranian capture of Halabja and the Iraqi CW attack that followed. "We are waiting to see what those who were supporting him in the UN Security Council, who used to say, 'Iraq is in favor of peace,' 'Iran is not accepting the resolution and Iran should be boycotted,' and' Iraq be left free are going to do.' Can they wipe the shame off their faces? Will they say the same things after these chemical weapon attacks, after such extensive attacks against cities? We must also praise and thank the correspondents who have come and reported these events. However, unfortunately we have to ask them what they have done since they came and observed this. They say that they have sent photographs and reports, showed the bodies, gone to hospitals, you visited the wounded and heard their moans. You saw the area, you saw the greatest calamities and crimes and what did your governments say? 'We are sorry!' Another one said, 'We are concerned!' The one who has shown the strongest reaction said, 'I condemn this.' The biggest of the lot said, 'I strongly condemn this!' Is that all? Thousands of people were murdered, they burned thousands of people and you are sorry and concerned?"
—"Iranian Chief Justice Sees Islamic Revolution as 'Third Force'," Tehran Home Service, 25 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 28 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

25 March 1988
Iranian military communiqués report that Marivan has come under attack from CW bombs, injuring seven people.
—"Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 25 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 31 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

26 March 1988
Doctors Without Borders confirms that Iraq has used cyanide and mustard gases in its recent attacks. One spokesman for the group states that the faces and the nails of some of the victims have turned blue and that "this confirms that they were killed by cyanide gas." He also states that many of the victims have the types of blisters associated with mustard. An Iranian doctor states that protective gear in the hands of the Iranian forces in the area protected them from most of the CW. Around 300 CW victims are receiving treatment in Tehran hospitals. A Belgium doctor declined to speculate on whether Iraq used nerve agent because it decomposed too quickly to be identified. Iraq states that it will use all available means to deter Iranian forces from advancing further.
—"Iraq Uses Chemical Weapons in War, Say Western Doctors," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 26 March 1988, item number: 0326034.

26 March 1988
Tehran Home Service comments on the recent statement by the UN Secretary General that accused Iraq of carrying out the CW attack on Halabja. After reiterating the Secretary General's belief that there is serious and considerable evidence proving that Iraq committed the atrocity, the report draws attention to diplomatic sources that "believe the UN Secretary General's statement focuses on three important points. First, the Secretary General has raised the issue of the use of chemical weapons by the Zionist Iraqi regime for the first time as an independent issue....Second, for the first time the Secretary General names Iraq specifically and holds the regime ruling in Baghdad responsible for the use of chemicals weapons. Third, he has condemned the use of chemical weapons. Notwithstanding all this, the statement falls short of international expectations by a large margin, and the UN Secretary General's duty remains unchanged."

Iran's Ambassador to the UN states during a press conference that Iraq's recent CW attacks struck not only Halabja, but also towns and villages in Iran. He states that a failure to act on the part of the UN would not only result in the disappearance of the evidence that the crime ever took place, but also it would encourage the Iraqi regime to commit similar crimes in the future. After a meeting with the Secretary General, the ambassador states that Iran believes that the UN team's trip to investigate the attacks, and the report that follows, will certainly inform global opinion about the crime. Iran also hopes the trip and the report will have a practical impact in preventing future CW attacks.

Rafsanjani sends a message to parliaments around the world asking them to condemn the "massacre" at Halabja.

Chief Justice Musavi Ardebili sends a letter to the UN Secretary General stating, "The silence maintained by international circles and the irresponsible attitude of the UN Security Council has become a source of surprise to the freedom-lovers of the world and is an illogical position that contravenes legal precedents and international regulations." Although the Chief Justice thanks the Secretary General "for his action in condemning the Iraqi regime and the dispatch of a UN delegation to experts to review the dimensions of this calamity, [he demands] the legal punishment of the perpetrator of this crime and an arms embargo against the Iraqi regime in addition to a ban against the export of chemical and bacteriological weapons to Iraq or their production in a number of Iraqi cities."
—"Iran Views UN Secretary-General's Statement on Iraqi Use of Chemical Weapons as Inadequate; UN decision to Send Experts to Halabjah," Tehran Home Service, 26 March 1988, British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 28 March 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

27 March 1988
Iraqi newspapers state that "Iraq is determined to utilize all capabilities and means to decimate the invaders and purge the land inch by inch" and that "we defend ourselves with all available means."
—Nabila Megalli, "Iran Attacks Indian Ship, 'War of Cities' Continues as do Land Battles," Associated Press, 27 March 1988.

28-31 March 1988
A UN team visits Iran to investigate CW allegations at Halabja made by both Iraq and Iran. The team concludes that victims were exposed to mustard gas and something resembling a nerve agent. The UN makes no statement regarding the sources of exposure.
—Gordon M. Burck and Charles C. Flowerree, International Handbook on Chemical Weapons Proliferation (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1991), p. 110.

28 March 1988
A UN team lands in Tehran to investigate the CW attack on Kurdish villages in northeastern Iraq.
—Daniel J. Silva, "Untitled," United Press International, 28 March 1988.

28 March 1988
Iraq sends an angry 15-page letter to the Secretary General condemning the UN decision to send a team to Tehran to investigate the CW attacks on Kurdish towns in northeastern Iraq and northwestern Iran. The letter also condemns the Secretary General and some members of the Security Council for believing Iran's claims, which resulted in a "biased and unbalanced" statement by the Secretary General on 25 March 1988. The letter did not confirm or deny Iraqi use of CW but states that "when each time Iran sends hundreds of thousands of people to attack and kill us, can you expect Iraq to stand by with folded hands when barbarians try to invade?" Finally, the letter states that Iran's of CW since the beginning of the war has been well documented, "but here there is no question or quick response by the Secretary General to investigate this or any aggression by Iran."
—Victoria Graham, "Iraq Rips UN Chemical Arms Team, Says Iraqi POWs Abused," Associated Press, 28 March 1988.

29 March 1988
Yaser Hashemi Rafsanjani, the 16-year-old son of the Majlis Speaker, and Amir Mohammadi Khomeiniha, son of Iran's Prosecutor General, were reportedly among the victims of a 25 March 1988 Iraqi CW attack along the northern front. The report states that Yaser Rafsanjani, now receiving hospital treatment, was a student volunteer stationed in Iraq's Sulaymaniyah Province when his unit came under Iraqi CW attack. A separate report indicates that 29 additional CW victims have been sent to Austria, West Germany, Switzerland, Britain, and the United States in order that they may receive medical treatment.
—"Iran Accuses Iraq of Using Chemical Weapons," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 29 March 1988, item number: 0329157; Reuters, "Sad Aftermath of Chemical Warfare; 30 Gas Victims Flown to West," Toronto Star, 29 March 1988, p. A1.

29 March 1988
Iraq reports that Iran has used chemical weapons during its latest offensive and threatens to attack Iranian cities with CW in retaliation.
—"Iraqi Warplanes Raid Iranian Oil Installations," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 29 March 1988, item number: 0329030.

29 March 1988
Nuri Nayef, the head of the Iraqi News Agency's Cairo office, says an Iraqi government spokesman informed him that the military "might choose a number of large Iranian cities to be the targets of chemical weapons as a deterrent and punitive measure." The unidentified spokesman had stated that Iran had deployed CW in Iraqi Kurdestan last week and that Iraq was deciding whether to respond in kind.
—Ed Blanche, "Iraq Threatens to Use Chemical Weapons on Iranian Cities," Associated Press, 29 March 1988.

29 March 1988
Six CW victims arrive in Vienna to receive treatment for their injuries. Doctors attending to the victims state that their injuries lead them to believe they were exposed to mustard gas "in combination with a 'light' nerve gas, because they all have bad headaches, are dizzy, and (some) may have been unconscious."
—Teddie Weyr, "Kurds Apparently Suffering from Mustard Gas Wounds Arrive for Treatment," Associated Press, 29 March 1988.

29 March 1988
The Iraqi News Agency reports that "out of our desire to emphasize the facts and in reply to the campaign regarding Iraq's use of chemical weapons, we would like to reiterate that Iran has used chemical weapons on the battlefronts several times. It has also used this weapon inside cities. At the beginning of the war, Iran also used CS gas against our forces in the city of Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] and on the southern and northern fronts."
—"Iraqi Foreign Minister Accuses the UN of Giving 'Privileges' to Iran and of Failing to Investigate Iranian 'Atrocities'," Iraqi News Agency, 29 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 1 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

30 March 1988
Iran shows a video at the Iranian UN mission to prove its claim that Iraq was behind the CW attack in Halabja. The video shows Iranian troops entering the city unopposed and touring the city. Then, in scenes filmed from a distance, it is possible to see explosions followed by large dispersals of white gas clouds as they cover huge sections of the city. The film concludes by showing another tour of the city, this time filled with dead bodies. Iran claims it films all of its battles and deposited this film with the UN as official evidence. In other news, reports suggest that Iran is unhappy with the composition of the team the UN sent to investigate the recent CW attacks. Consisting of just a political officer and a medical doctor, the team did not have any chemical weapons specialists.
—Marian Houk, "Iran Enlists US Help in Treating Victims of Chemical Attack," Christian Science Monitor, 1 April 1988, p. 12.

31 March 1988
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati tells the Conference on Disarmament, "I would like to reiterate here that the Islamic Republic of Iran has full capability of manufacturing chemical weapons, but based upon humanitarian criteria and our commitments to the valuable Geneva protocol of 1925, we do not intend to use these weapons as a deterrent."
—Ali Akbar Velayati, prepared statement, before the Conference on Disarmament, 31 March 1998; quoted in Gordon M. Burck and Charles C. Flowerree, International Handbook on Chemical Weapons Proliferation (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1991), p. 238.

31 March 1988
Velayati continues by stating that by attacking Halabja with CW more than 20 times on 17 March, the bombardment was the worst of its kind since the First World War. "Halabja was not the first city subject to Iraqi chemical bombardments, but with 5,000 martyrs and 7,000 injured, 75 percent of them women and children, it was the worst of it." He goes on to state that Iraq first began to use CW in January 1981 and later expanded its use in 1984. He accuses the US and other influential states of having a pro-Iraq policy that has prevented the UN from taking the strong measures necessary to deter Iraqi CW attacks.
—"Iran's Foreign Minister Accuses Iraq of Using Chemical Weapons," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 31 March 1988, item number: 0331175.

31 March 1988
Velayati states at the Conference on Disarmament that "In Auschwitz, men and women were taken by force to gas baths but in Halabja, poison and gas were taken to the houses of people." He urges the delegates to travel to Zurich and Lausanne to visit the injured receiving treatment there and states that the attack on Halabja "must be recorded as a genocide and crime against humanity....Only, and I repeat only, by practical and unified action can we prevent the repetition of such crimes. No measures were (previously) taken by the Council and as a result Iraq, with open hands and with the hope that there would not be much international reaction, subjected Halabja to its chemical attacks."
—"Minister Tells Conference 5,000 Died in Chemical Attack," United Press International, 31 March 1988.

31 March 1988
In a live television interview in Iran, Velayati updates viewers on recent diplomatic events at the Conference on Disarmament. He states that much of his speech concerned the Iraqi use of chemical weapons in Kurdistan. He informs viewers that he showed films and distributed brochures and pictures to the delegates attending the meeting. When asked what the response was to his speech, Velayati replies, "So far, Austria, the FRG, Great Britain, Switzerland, and the USA have agreed to take the victims of attacks by chemical weapons for treatment. Sweden, Norway, and Spain have expressed their willingness to accept the injured. Belgium has sent a team of physicians to Tehran. The Red Cross has sent a medical team and a planeload of pharmaceutical products. Other consignments of medicines and doctors have been sent. The world mass media, for example, French television, as well as the television networks of Switzerland, Germany [not further specified] Sweden, Australia, Austria, Great Britain and other countries have been presenting detailed coverage of issues pertaining to the use of chemical weapons by the Iraqi regime. At the disarmament sessions during the past few days, Japan, on behalf of the Western countries, condemned the use of chemical weapons, while the GDR denounced Iraq's use of these weapons on behalf of the socialist countries. Sweden independently adopted a categorical and firm stance against the Iraqi regime for its use of chemical weapons. The Australian Foreign Minister declared a strong and firm stance against the Iraqi regime for its use of chemical weapons. For the first time in recent years, the Soviet representative condemned the use of chemical weapons against civilians, as did various other countries, some of which I have already mentioned. general, it appears that despite attempts by the imperialist mass media to ignore this topic, this war crime, and to remain silent about it, the catastrophe was on such a large scale and our brothers in the Islamic Republic made such sincere efforts in this regard that this issue has generated an extensive reaction on the international level. The use of chemical weapons has left an unpleasant impression on people's minds and led to a kind of loathing of the Iraqi regime on the part of people throughout the world. This loathing is now widespread. We can say that the people of the world are coming to the conclusion that the Islamic Republic was justified in saying that as long as the criminal regime remains in the region, the region will not know any peace."
—"Iranian Foreign Minister Assesses Results for Iran of Geneva Disarmament Conference," Tehran Television, 31 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 5 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

31 March 1988
Six victims of recent CW attacks along the border of Iran and Iraq have arrived by Iranian Air Ambulance to New York.
—"Kurdistan Chemical Weapons Victims Arrive in New York," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 31 March 1988, item number: 0331049.

31 March 1988
Iraqi aircraft bombarded two suburbs of the Iranian border city of Marivan with CW today, killing and wounding numerous people according to IRNA. The attack occurred just as the UN team investigating recent CW attacks left Tehran to travel to Halabja.
—"Iraq Drops Chemical Bombs on Iran Villages, Iran Says," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 31 March 1988, item number: 0331017.

31 March 1988
A spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan informs UPI that Iraqi planes bombarded the Kurdish city of Karadagh with CW on 26 and 27 March, killing 64 and wounding 210.
—"Iraq Reportedly Used Chemical Bombs against Kurds," United Press International, 31 March 1988.

31 March 1988
In comments on Tehran Radio, Ayatollah Khomeini states, "the enemy has proved his brutal actions by firing chemical weapons on residential areas."
—Martin Marris, "Iraq Stops Missile Attacks; Iran Shells Tanker," Associated Press, 31 March 1988.

31 March 1988
In a later report, Tehran Radio claims that Iraqi planes dropped CW bombs on two villages near the border town of Marivan, but "only three people were martyred" and three injured thanks to Iranian measures already taken.
—Daniel J. Silva, "Iraq Calls Temporary Halt to Bombing Iranian Cities," United Press International, 31 March 1988.

31 March 1988
Tehran citizens are warned for the first time that the radio will broadcast three beeps, a pause, and three more beeps to alert them that Iraq has attacked Tehran with CW. An official from the Iranian Guidance Ministry states that the Iraqis "would pay dearly if they dared to do it."
—Hanns Neuerbourg, AP, "Tehran Prepares for a Gas Attack," Washington Times, 1 April 1988, p. A9.

31 March 1988
Tehran Home Service reports on a statement made by an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman denouncing recent US allegations that Iran also used CW in Halabja: "The USA's officials, by linking the Islamic Republic of Iran with this false accusation, have sprung to Iraq's assistance so as to weaken and divert the world current [Persian: jarian], which has been built up against Saddam's regime. The foreign ministry spokesman added, "It is disgraceful for the US ruling circles in order to justify their incorrect policy of siding absolutely with Iraq, and now that the regime which they support, even according to the admissions of impartial medical missions and Western mass media, has committed the worst war crime of the present century to resort to such fabrications."

While strongly rejecting the USA's accusations, he added, "The US officials justify the crimes of Iraq in Halabjah, and this move on their part is a green light to that criminal regime to continue its extensive use of chemical weapons. In reality, American military experts are performing a task for Saddam which Goebbels performed for Hitler!...If the USA does not use its influence to compel the Iraqi regime not to repeat a tragedy such as that in Halabjah and not to use chemical weapons, there will be no doubts in the minds of the Iranian nation and all Muslims and freedom-seeking people of the world that the policy of using chemical weapons on the part of the Iraqi regime enjoys the full approval of the USA and that the White House and the war ministry [Defense Department] of the USA too are responsible for and are partners in this war crime as much as Saddam's regime is."
—"USA's Allegations about Iranian Use of Chemical Weapons Described as 'Ridiculous'," Tehran Home Service, 31 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 4 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

31 March 1988
Tehran Home Service, quoting an Iranian military communiqué, states that three people have died after two villages near Marivan were attacked with chemical weapons. In a separate report, it claims that Iraqi mustard gas and nerve gas killed 75 people in the region of Qaradagh in the villages of Susiyan and Dukan on 21-22 March, and Balakha, Jafaran, and Oliyan on 23 March
—"Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Tehran Home Service, 31 March 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 7 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

April 1988
Iran produces its first gas masks and decontamination equipment.
—Gregory F. Giles, Iranian Approaches to Chemical Warfare, 15 December 1997, p. 8.

April 1988
The gas masks are produced at the Yasa factories.
—Jean Pascal Zanders, "Iranian Use of Chemical Weapons: A Critical Analysis of Past Allegations," at a talk at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Washington, DC, 7 March 2001, <http://cns.miis.edu/cns/dc/030701.htm >.

1 April 1988
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader Jalal Talabani accuses Iraq of conducting a "war of genocide against the Kurdish people. They use chemical weapons against us all the time and raze our villages."
—Ed Blanche, "Kurdistan War Escalates as Iraq Claims Guerrilla Bases Overrun," Associated Press, 2 April 1988.

3 April 1988
Iran's deputy foreign minister states during a press conference that Iran will be adding new conditions that will need to be fulfilled if it is to accept a cease-fire proposal: namely, that the Iraqi regime be held accountable and punished for its attacks on civilians and its use of chemical weapons. "I think the war of the cities and the use of chemical weapons is not justified at anytime...it is a war crime." He states that the UN needs to strongly condemn these actions and take punitive measures against Iraq such as employing an embargo on shipments to Iraq of chemical weapons precursors. He states that Iraq supports a global ban on the use, storage, and production of chemical weapons; although he does not state that Iran will never use chemical weapons. In response to the US accusations that Iran used chemical weapons against Halabja, he states that the United States is "very naïve" and that the accusations were nothing more than an attempt to "justify American support for Iraq."
—Warren Richey, "Iran's Victories Add Force to Demands at UN," Christian Science Monitor, 6 April 1988, p. 17.

4 April 1988
A European ambassador in Teheran calls Iraq's use of chemical weapons at Halabja "a warning they are ready to use chemical warheads." According to Newsweek, Iranian leaders threaten to use their own chemical weapons in retaliation. Newsweek sources in Teheran believe Iran is producing chemical weapons with the aid of West German technology.
—"Massacre in Halabja," Newsweek, 4 April 1988, p. 38.

4 April 1988
Western journalists in Halabja find no evidence on the ground to support Iraq's claim that Teheran is responsible for the gas attack on Halabja. US News & World Report claims that Iran has acquired enough raw materials to produce four tons of poison gas a month despite export bans. The same source claims that Iran possesses poison gas and is threatening to use it unless the United Nations punishes Iraq for employing chemical weapons.
—James Wallace, et al., "Iran-Iraq War: New Horrors in a Long-Running Horror Show," US News & World Report, p.11.

4 April 1988
Iraq formally requests the UN Secretary General to send a team to investigate Iranian use of CW in its recent attacks in Iraq. In a letter to the UN Chief, Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz states, "Your excellency, I have the honor to inform you that it has been ascertained that the criminal Iranian regime's armed forces bombarded the Iraqi forces in the Halabja sector on 30 and 31 March 1988 with chemical weapons. The Iranian regime did this with artillery and aircraft. As a result of this barbarous bombardment, 88 military personnel were seriously wounded and are now in hospital in Baghdad....The Iraqi government requests Your Excellency to dispatch a mission to Baghdad immediately to visit the wounded and to learn the details of the aggression."
—"Iraq Invites UN Mission to Visit Victims of 'Chemical Bombardment' Iranian Denial," Iraqi News Agency, 4 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 6 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1; "Iraq Urges UN Inquiry of Iranian Use of Chemical Arms," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 4 April 1988, item number: 0404020; Reuters, "Missile War Erupts again in Gulf Contact," Toronto Star, 5 April, 1988, p. A12.

4 April 1988
Iran accuses Iraqi forces of wounding at least 18 Kurdish tribesmen with CW attacks on Iranian-held cities in northeastern Iraq over the weekend.
—Lee Stokes, "Iran, Iraq Resume Missile Attacks on Cities," United Press International, 4 April 1988.

4 April 1988
Five CW victims sent by the Iranian government arrive in Japan to receive treatment for their injuries.
—"Press Conference: Five Victims of Iraqi Chemical Weapons Arrive," Japan Economic Newswire, 4 April 1988.

4 April 1988
Tehran Radio reports that Iraqi aircraft have dropped CW bombs on two villages in the Paveh area of Iran's Bakhtaran Province.
—"War of Cities Resumes Following Ozal's Departure," Tehran Radio, 5 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 5 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

5 April 1988
Iran furiously rejects Iraqi allegations of its use of CW. A spokesman for Iran's War Information Headquarters states that the Iraqi allegations were made "in a bid to counteract international condemnation of Iraq's use of chemical substances against the Kurds of Iraq" and Iranian forces. A different Iranian spokesman states that Iraq more than likely "mistakenly used chemical weapons against its own forces who were stationed" near Iranian soldiers. Iran's prime minister states that the nations of the world "should adopt a severe stance against the Iraqi regime's crime which threatens not only Iran but also the whole world."
—Lee Stokes, United Press International, 5 April 1988.

5 April 1988
An Iranian soldier receiving treatment in Vienna for chemical weapons-related injuries dies today. He was brought to Vienna on 29 March.
—"Iranian Reportedly Wounded in Chemical Gas Attack Dies," Associated Press, 6 April 1988.

6 April 1988
The UN states that it is preparing to send a two-man team to Baghdad to investigate Iraqi claims of Iranian CW attacks. The team will consist of the same investigators recently investigating Iranian claims of Iraqi CW attacks in Kurdistan. Meanwhile, reports state that the Iranian Ambassador to the Vatican has sent the Pope a video showing Iranian evidence of the Iraqi attack on Halabja. In a letter accompanying the video, the ambassador states that, "The Iraqi regime has used chemical bombs of various kinds, including mustard gas, nerve gas, and above all cyanide, against the helpless civilian populations." Furthermore, Iran's Foreign Minister sends a letter to the UN Secretary General stating, "it is imperative to dispatch a chemical weapons specialist as well as a military specialist to the Islamic Republic to complete the work of the previous team."
—"U.N. to Probe Iraqi Chemical Weapons Charges," United Press International, 6 April 1988.

6 April 1988
Reporters are shown Iraqi soldiers injured by what Iraqi official claim to be Iranian chemical weapons. Around 80 soldiers and 10 military officers claim that Iranian chemical bombs and shells fell on Halabja on 31 March. An Iraqi doctor states, "Tests have proved they were all hit by mustard gas which caused severe injuries and inflammation of their eyes, skin, and sensitive parts of their bodies." An Iraqi lieutenant states, "A white smoke billowed over the area and oil spots appeared on the ground. About seven minutes later I felt bubbles growing on my skin, which was burning and which turned black and dark red." [Note: This could be due to white phosphorous incendiary or smoke munitions.]
—AP, "Hospital Children Killed by Iraq Blast," Toronto Star, 7 April 1988, p. A3.

6 April 1988
IRNA reports, "Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati categorically rejected Baghdad's baseless claims that Iran had used chemical weapons against Iraqi forces. In a letter to the United Nations Secretary General, Velayati expressed surprise that Javier Perez de Cuellar has responded positively to the untenable Iraqi request for dispatch of a UN team to Iraq within 24 hours, while it took more than two weeks for the Secretary General to respond to serious and repeated request by Iran regarding a far graver situation. [The] Iraqi regime, in a vain attempt to divert the international public opinion from Iraqi genocide in the city of Halabjah and in the Qara Dagh region, where Iraqi civilians were targets of chemical warfare by the Iraqi war criminals, has called on the UN to send a team to Iraq. In addition to conducting on-sight investigation of the extent of this latest Iraqi war crime, the team can indeed provide the urgently needed, and till now unavailable, emergency medical warfare in the Qara Dagh region."

Velayati concluded the letter by saying, "in view of the repeated use of chemical weapons in increasingly alarming proportions by Iraq, it is necessary that this investigative endeavour of the Secretary-General lead to a binding and enforceable decision on the prohibition of the use of chemical weapons. It is imperative that the parties commit themselves to accept and abide by such a binding decision."
—"Iranian Foreign Minister's Letter to UN: Response to Calls for Chemical Weapons Investigations," Islamic Republic News Agency, 6 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 8 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

10 April 1988
US military experts and government officials discuss the growing military challenges in the Middle East. These experts cite the growing use of chemical weapons by both Iran and Iraq—even against civilians. The experts reveal that US intelligence sources first detected Iraqi use of chemical weapons in 1982. That release backfired when poor deployment caused the chemical weapons to drift back over the Iraqi forces. After that experiment, Iraqis used chemical weapons in Kurdistan in 1983, and along the southern front in 1984-85. They state that Iraq has focused its efforts on persistent weapons such as mustard gas rather than non-persistent weapons such as cyanide. This is because the Iraqi military is often on the defensive and wants chemical weapons that will stay in the environment for a long time in order to hold off Iranian attacks for greater periods of time. On the other hand, because Iranian troops are often on the offensive, they have concentrated on non-persistent weapons that will dissipate quickly in front of advancing forces. These weapons include cyanide and chlorine. Pentagon sources state that there are "strong indications" that Iran also used chemical weapons in Halabja. "There is ample reason to believe both had a hand in it. It wasn't a one-way show," the official says.
—David Ottaway, "Mideast Perils: The Introduction of Medium-Ranged Missiles, Chemical Weapons and Ballistic-Missiles Warfare into the Volatile Region has Created a Situation that could Spell Doom in a New War Erupts between Arabs and Israel," Toronto Star, 10 April 1988, p. H3.

10 April 1988
Tehran Radio reports that a village near Marivan has been bombed with chemical weapons this morning by Iraqi forces. Anti-chemical units are reported to have rushed to the scene.
—"Iraqi Missile Attacks on Tehran and Esfahan; Mutual Accusations of Chemical Attack," Tehran Radio, 6 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 12 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

10 April 1988
An Iraqi military spokesman denies that Iraqi forces attacked Marivan with chemical weapons and claims that Iran is spreading false accusations to divert attention from its own use of chemical weapons.
—"Iraqi Missile Attacks on Tehran and Esfahan; Mutual Accusations of Chemical Attack," Baghdad Radio, 6 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 12 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

11 April 1988
Dr. Hamid Sohrapour of Labafi Nejad Hospital in Tehran reports that the gas used in Halabja was probably VX or tabun: "We know that Iraq has stocks of both kinds of gas."
—"A Terrible Survival," Maclean's, 11 April 1988, p. 22.

11 April 1988
Tehran residents are buying plastic overalls, rubber tires, and powdered coal to protect themselves in the event of an Iraqi CW attack on their city. The Iranian government suggests that the fumes of burning tires offer some protection from chemical weapons. Government television instructs people to cover exposed skin with plastic, cover their mouths with a wet cloth soaked in powdered coal, and to move to higher ground in the event of a CW attack.
—Reuters, "Iranians Fearful Iraq May Launch Chemical Attack," Toronto Star, 11 April 1988, p. A4.

11 April 1988
Iran's UN Representative states at a press conference that the Security Council should create an embargo against Iraq on chemical weapons precursors.
—Candice Hughes, "Iraqi Envoy, UN Chief Begin Talks on UN Peace Plan," Associated Press, 11 April 1988.

11 April 1988
Iraq flies 15 of its soldiers to England, West Germany, and Austria to receive treatment for injuries it says were caused by Iranian chemical weapons late last month. An Iraqi embassy spokesman says, "We bring the proof now that our soldiers have been hit" with chemical weapons.
—"Fifteen Iraqi Soldiers Flown to London, Vienna for Treatment," Associated Press, 11 April 1988.

12 April 1988
IRNA states that Iraqi forces deployed chemical weapons in Iraqi Kurdistan. Iranian troops are reported to have "immediately used protective devices though many are injured." IRNA quotes an Iraqi Kurd radio station as reporting a CW attack on Kurdish villages on 10 April that killed "hundreds of civilians and [wounded] many others."
—Lee Stokes, "Iran Accuses Iraq of Using Chemical Weapons Again," United Press International, 12 April 1988.

12 April 1988
A Christian Science Monitor report quotes Iran's War Information Headquarters head Kamal Kharrazi as saying, "We have absolutely refrained from the use of chemical weapons in spite of the fact that we have the capability to produce and deploy them....You have to know our patience has limits. We are now waiting for international bodies to do something to prevent the continued use of chemical weapons by our enemy. At this stage it doesn't mean we aren't going to use chemical weapons." The article also reports on the capture of an Iraqi pilot, Maj. Ahmad Shaker of Iraq's 44th Squadron, who states that he was surprised that Iraqi Kurds had been injured and killed in the Halabja attacks. He was captured on 17 March and states that Iraqi pilots had thought the Kurds had vacated the town after it fell to the Iranians. He guesses that 20-25 Iraqi planes, each carrying 3-4 "special bombs," attacked the Halabja area in mid-March. He denies that he dropped any chemical weapons on Halabja, but admits to dropping chemical bombs near Basra in 1983.
—Warren Richey, "In the North, Iran Wages Propaganda as well as Military Battle," Christian Science Monitor, 12 April 1988, p. 7.

12 April 1988
The Christian Science Monitor reports an interview with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister that took place sometime last week. In the report, the official states that although the treatment of Iranian soldiers in US hospitals is a positive sign for the troubled relations between the two countries, the recent allegations made by the US State Department about Iranian use of chemical weapons were less positive. In referring to the allegations, the deputy foreign minister states, "They are very negative things. [This is] very open help for a criminal aggressor, which doesn't enjoy any international reputation or credibility. The hostility of American policy toward our revolution is mainly leading the administration to take these kind of positions." The reporter then asks him to comment on a statement made by Iran's foreign minister that although Iran has the capability to use chemical weapons, it has not and will never use chemical weapons. The reporter asks if this can be construed as a formal pledge not to use chemical weapons. He responds, "It is true. This is our position. But there is a main question: what kind of deterrent should we use to prevent Iraqis from using chemical warfare? There are only two, political and military....Unfortunately, the Security Council is showing deaf ears to all the calls, showing inconceivable ignorance...so we are entitled to think of deterrent measures because the political deterrent activities are not enough. But what Dr. Velayati said, it is our constant policy. It is like a country who has the nuclear capability but he wants not to use it at all: as a deterrent measure maybe they have the capability but they are not going to use it."
—Marian Houk, "Iran Denies Delaying UN Ceasefire Plan," Christian Science Monitor, 12 April 1988, p. 11.

13 April 1988
A high-ranking US official states, "It looks like Iran used its chemical weapons against military targets, while Iraq used them against troops and civilians" in the battle around Halabja last month. US officials state that they have solid intelligence that points to Iranian targeting of Iraqi troops through cyanide-filled artillery shells at about the same time as the gas attack on Halabja. This disclosure is weakening the Iranian propaganda campaign the officials say. US officials have also learned that West German technology and supplies are important to both Iranian and Iraqi chemical weapons arsenals. One example is ammunition-making technology supplied by Fritz Werner, a German tool-making company. US intelligence believes this equipment, supplied to both Iran and Iraq in 1986, has been used in chemical weapons programs.
—E.A. Wayne, "Tracking Chemical Weapons in the Gulf War," Christian Science Monitor, 13 April 1988, p. 32.

13 April 1988
Hashemi Rafsanjani states, "We hope our defense will be so strong that we will not be forced to use chemical arms." If Iran was forced to use chemical weapons in response to repeated Iraqi chemical attacks, Rafsanjani states that Iran cannot be held responsible. He disputes claims that Iran has already used chemical weapons, claiming that Iran would be brave enough to admit their use if it ever came to that. He then criticizes the major world powers for maintaining chemical weapons stockpiles and contributing to Iraq's chemical weapons program. He states that although the superpowers are hypocrites for condemning the Iraqi attacks, there words are meaningless and they are simply telling lies.
—"Iran Rafsanjani Accuses Superpowers of Hypocrisy in Condemning use of Chemical Weapons," Islamic Republic News Agency, 13 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 15 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

14 April 1988
Three alleged Iranian victims of chemical weapons returned to Iran after receiving medical treatment for minor injuries. They were part of a group of five sent to Japan on 4 April. The other two are in serious condition. Doctors have not determined if their injuries are a result of chemical weapons.
—"Three Iran-Iraq War Victims Leave for Home," Japan Economic Newswire, 14 April 1988.

15 April 1988
The Director General of Political Affairs of the Iranian Foreign Ministry meets with his Dutch counterpart in The Hague for discussions on trade and agriculture. In addition to those main topics, the Iranians also brought up the topic of Iraq's use of chemical weapons in Halabja. After the meeting, the Iranian official relates, "we emphasized the need for international organizations and community to ban the use of chemical weapons [and] we declared that we don't have any intention to use chemical weapons for humanitarian reasons....International bodies should take appropriate measures to punish Iraq for using chemical weapons."
—Xu Hongfu, "Iran Avows Respect for Geneva Accord on Afghanistan," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 15 April 1988, item number: 0415223.

15 April 1988
Special trucks and equipment designed to neutralize the effects of chemical weapons have been stationed throughout Tehran, as there is growing speculation that the Iranian capital may come under Iraqi chemical weapons attack. Hospitals are stockpiling medicine and supplies to respond to a chemical weapons attack while the government is engaging in a large-scale advertising/public service campaign to teach the public what to do in the event of a chemical attack.
—Warren Richey, "Iranians Await Iraqi Attacks in Campgrounds and Luxury Hotels," Christian Science Monitor, 15 April 1988, p.11.

16 April 1988
A Tehran Home Service report calls the US claim from two weeks ago about Iran's use of chemical weapons a "baseless lie" and says its sole intent is to exonerate the Iraqi regime "from the horrifying crime of Halabja."
—"Iran Warns USA of Strong Response to any Aggression Following Warship Incident," Tehran Home Service, 16 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 18 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

17 April 1988
Tehran Radio reports that Iraqis have resorted to using chemical weapons in fighting on the Fao Peninsula. IRNA reports that the Iraqis began using mustard, cyanide, and nerve agents in the fighting since 1:30 a.m. GMT.
—"Iran Claims Success in Offensive in Faw Peninsula," Tehran Radio, 17 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 19 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1; "Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 17 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 20 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

17 April 1988
Tehran officials conduct drills to train their citizens on steps to take should the city come under large-scale chemical weapons attack. Smoke grenades were thrown, the chemical weapons attack siren sounded, first responders and decontamination units arrived on the scene, and the (fictitious) wounded were transported to area hospitals.
—"Preparations for Possible Iraqi Chemical Attacks on Tehran," Tehran Home Service, 17 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 21 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

17-18 April 1988
According to General Wafiq Al-Sammarai, former head of Iraqi Military Intelligence, Iraq uses VX against Iran in the battle of Fao in Southern Iraq.
—Patrick Cockburn, "Iraq Used Deadly Gas on Iranians," Independent, 3 July 1998; Patrick Cockburn, "How Saddam Kept Deadly Gas Secret," Independent, 3 July 1998; "Iraq Reportedly Used VX Gas in Iran-Iraq War," CNN, 3 July 1998, <http://www.cnn.com>.

18 April 1988
Kamal Kharrazi, director of the Iranian office of war information, denies that Iran has ever used chemical weapons. Still, he adds, "there are limits to our patience."
—"A Battered City Under Siege," Maclean's, 18 April 1988, p. 34.

18 April 1988
According to US News & World Report, the Iranians ask the French government to allow shipments of chemicals and fertilizers that the Iranians could easily turn into poison gas. In return, Iran may influence Hezbollah to free French hostages in Lebanon.
—Charles Fenyvesi, "Banishing Bani-Sadr," US News & World Report, 18 April 1988, p.27.

18 April 1988
IRNA reports that Iraqi chemical weapons attacks on the Fao peninsula have been so severe that they have adversely affected parts of Abadan.
—"Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 18April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 20 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

Mid-April 1988
Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the Supreme Defence Council spokesman, states in Rome "that where and when necessary, the Islamic Republic of Iran will be capable of equipping all its forces with chemical weapons."
—IRNA, 24 April 1998; FBIS, 25 April 1998.

21 April 1988
Iran's Ambassador to India claims in a news conference at the Iranian Embassy that the United States is assisting Iraq in its use of chemical weapons against Iranian forces. Similar news conferences occur in Iranian Embassies in Japan and Belgium. The Iranian Ambassador to India claims that US troops are fighting alongside their Iraqi allies on the Fao Peninsula. He states, "the conspirators have descended now to open and direct military intervention, and worse of all to the use of chemical weapons."
—"Iranian Says US Helps Iraq in Chemical Weapons," United Press International, 21 April 1988.

22 April 1988
Tehran Radio reports that Iraq attacked it with chemical weapons in two bombing raids on Howejneh and Dar-Khoweyn (south of Ahwaz) in the southern sector, "wounding tens of our Arab-speaking compatriots....Chemical, bacteriological, and radiological defense units rapidly arrived on the scene" and began decontamination.
—Mona Ziade, "Iran Buries Sailors Killed in Battles with US Forces," Associated Press, 22 April 1988.

22 April 1988
IRNA reports that Iraqi forces shelled residential areas of Abadan with chemical weapons. IRNA also reports that the villages of Karhenu and Shamriyeh near Susangerd were bombed with chemical weapons.
—"Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 22 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 26 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

23 April 1988
Iran accuses Iraq of unleashing chemical weapons attacks on four of its southern border villages today, killing a number of people.
—"Iran Denies Shelling Iraqi Border Town," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 23 April 1988, item number: 0423025.

23 April 1988
An anti-chemical weapons brigade has been formed in Tehran to protect the city and the central province against Iraqi chemical weapons attacks. The evening newspaper Ettela'at reports that several districts within Tehran have undergone chemical weapons training during the past month. The paper further reports that many of the city's residents are nervous of attack and that many have made gauze masks filled with [baking] soda.
—"Iran Sets up Brigade against Chemical Weapons," Xinhua General Overseas News Service (PRC), 23 April 1988, item number: 0423012.

23 April 1988
Iran's UN Envoy sent a formal request to the United Nations in response to its reports of Iraq's use of chemical weapons in recent days. The request was issued "in connection with the renewed use of such weapons against our country's non-military areas. We request the renewed and immediate dispatch of an UN expert delegation in order to investigate the resumed use of chemical weapons by Iraq, and we hope that this time the secretary general will act without delay or hesitation. We must at the same time reiterate that Iraq's increasing use of chemical weapons and the colorless and ineffective reaction of the UN has created yet another worthless round to the advantage of Iraq and against the international community which has lasted since 1984, that is since the time of the dispatch of the first UN expert delegation to the Islamic Republic of Iran."

He continues to state that the Security Council's silence on the topic of Iraq's use of chemical weapons has encouraged further Iraqi use of the weapons. He states, "for quite some time, the Islamic Republic of Iran has predicted the worldwide dangers of the quantitative and qualitative expansion of war crimes and of Iraq's violation of international regulations and it has given the necessary warnings to the UN Secretary General. But unfortunately, the inaction of that organization has consistently left the path open to Iraq." He adds that Iran hopes the next delegation will comprise enough experts to carry out a comprehensive investigation.
—Lee Stokes, "Iran Asks for UN Probe of Chemical Warfare," United Press International, 23 April 1988; "Iranian Envoy Complains of UN's 'Ineffective' Reaction to Iraqi Chemical Warfare," Tehran Home Service, 23 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 26 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

23 April 1988
IRNA states that Iraqi planes caused heavy casualties when they dropped chemical bombs on two villages near Howeyzah and on the villages of Shamriyeh and Safheh near Ahvaz.
—"Iranian Military Communiqués and Reports," Islamic Republic News Agency, 23 April 1988, reported in British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, 26 April 1988, Part 4, p. A1.

24 April 1988
Speaker Hashemi Rafsanjani states during an interview in Rome with La Stampa that if and when it was deemed necessary,