Publish Date: 5 April 2017 - 20:38

TEHRAN, Apr. 05 (MNA) – Foreign Ministry spokesperson has strongly condemned using of chemical gases against civilians regardless of the perpetrators of the attack.

Mr. Bahram Ghasemi who was responding officially to Tuesday's Idlib chemical attack, believed the painful and horrible disaster was not the first and would not be the last as well; "jumping to overhasty verdicts as to the perpetrators would only seek to profit politically by specific circles outside Syria which have stakes in the country; viewing the incident through different standards should be abandoned for more balanced view of the event itself and establishment of a committee to look into the issue," Mr. Spokesperson emphasized.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly believes that terrorist groups in Syria had been taken red-handed in stockpiling chemical weapons; despite the chemical disarmament of Syrian government by the UN and OPCW, there has been a thorn in the side of the international community that some petty terrorist groups still have access to chemical weapons, which also threats the peace process in the country," Ghasemi added.

Ghasemi also said the Idlib chemical episode was well-organized to hit the Astana process out of the direct path to stability; "as long as terrorist groups roam the country freely, such disasters will be looming over the country and civilians; the Islamic Republic of Iran offers heartfelt condolences to the families of victims of the attack and would offer medical services to the injured," he concluded.

Syrian government says an old depot of chemical weapons belonging to the rebel fighters was hit by airstrike and poisonous gases from the depot polluted the air in Khan Shaikhoun, Idlib province. Among the victims young people and children were detected. Opposition groups and western media had implicated President Assad in the incident while the Syrian government had totally given up its chemical weapons under UN control and confirmation.

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