TEHRAN– Iran has reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing legal accountability for those responsible for the 1987 chemical bombardment of the northwestern city of Sardasht, with senior officials describing the attack as one of the gravest war crimes of the Iran-Iraq War and a lasting reminder of 'international double standards' over the use of weapons of mass destruction.

Marking the anniversary of the attack, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran would continue to seek justice for the victims and hold accountable those responsible for the assault as well as the governments that enabled it.

“Sardasht was not only a victim of chemical bombs; it was also a victim of double standards and silence in the face of the countries—particularly Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands—that armed Saddam’s regime with these inhumane weapons and then turned a blind eye to the suffering of thousands of victims,” Gharibabadi wrote in a post on X on Saturday.

“We will seriously pursue the responsibility of the perpetrators of this crime,” he added.

On June 28, 1987, Iraqi warplanes under former dictator Saddam Hussein dropped chemical bombs on four densely populated districts of Sardasht, making it the first city in the world to be targeted with chemical weapons against a civilian population after World War II. The attack killed at least 110 civilians and exposed nearly 8,000 others to mustard gas, many of whom continue to suffer from chronic respiratory illnesses, vision impairment, skin disorders, and other long-term health complications decades later.

The Sardasht bombing has been widely recognized in Iranian and international accounts as one of the deadliest chemical attacks against civilians during the Iran-Iraq War. The assault formed part of a broader campaign in which Iraq repeatedly employed chemical weapons against both Iranian civilians and military personnel despite international prohibitions, while many of the foreign suppliers of dual-use materials and technology faced little or no accountability.

The anniversary coincides with Iran's National Day of Combat against Chemical and Biological Weapons, observed each year to commemorate the victims of Sardasht and to highlight the humanitarian consequences of chemical warfare.

In a message delivered at a commemorative ceremony on Saturday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran remains the “standard-bearer” in the global campaign against weapons of mass destruction and reiterated Tehran's determination to pursue justice for survivors of chemical attacks.

Araghchi said legal and procedural obstacles would not weaken Iran's resolve to seek accountability, arguing that the chemical attacks carried out during the Iran-Iraq War were made possible through the support and silence of certain Western governments that helped arm Saddam Hussein's regime with weapons of mass destruction.

The foreign minister also drew parallels between the legacy of the Sardasht attack and  'the recent U.S. and Israeli military aggression against Iran,' saying the anniversary serves as a reminder that impunity for violations of international law continues to threaten regional and international security.

He reiterated that Iran would continue to seek justice for the victims of chemical warfare while maintaining its long-standing position against weapons of mass destruction, describing accountability and adherence to international law as essential to preventing similar tragedies in the future.