TEHRAN, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Iran opposes the use of chemical weapons in any form and by any group, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday.
The Islamic republic itself is a victim of chemical weapons, used by former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Zarif said in a meeting with Ahmet Uzumcu, director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has always emphasized that no group has the right to use chemical weapons in armed conflicts," said Zarif.
He added that the terror group Islamic State (IS) "has used chemical weapons in its war against the Syrian government."
Zarif also expressed Iran's readiness to cooperate with the OPCW's investigation into an alleged chemical attack in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib in April, which claimed dozens of lives.
Uzumcu welcomed Tehran's will to assist in the investigation, noting that Iran and the OPCW have a long history of cooperation.
