Iran says 111 petrochemical and pharmaceutical sites damaged by US strikes

Iran's permanent representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Hadi Farajvand, accused the US of causing significant damage to the country's petrochemical and pharmaceutical facilities during recent military strikes. Speaking at the 113th session of the OPCW Executive Council in The Hague, Farajvand reported that the strikes targeted 111 facilities, including 60 petrochemical complexes and 44 pharmaceutical factories, as well as seven other pharmaceutical sites.

These damages have disrupted supply chains and directly affected Iran's ability to comply with the Chemical Weapons Convention. Farajvand stressed the importance of safeguarding chemical facilities from armed conflict to maintain the convention and promote international cooperation. He highlighted that the attacks violated Articles 1, 6, and 11 of the Convention, which concern general obligations, non-prohibited chemical activities, and international cooperation and economic and technological development.

Farajvand also expressed concerns over the US's compliance with the Convention, particularly in relation to Israel's chemical weapons program and the US's development of non-lethal and incapacitating chemical weapons. The OPCW Executive Council meeting, which began on Tuesday, October 6, will continue until October 9 and includes 41 member states.