"We have always emphasized that the use of chemical weapons on the part of anyone is our red line," Salehi said, according to the ISNA news agency. "Iran is opposed to the use of any kind of weapon of mass destruction, and not just their use but their production, accumulation, and use."Salehi also reiterated calls for the United Nations to investigate assertions by the Syrian government that Syrian insurgents had used chemical weapons."On Syria," he said, "we have also requested that in accordance with the Syrian government, which emphasizes that the opposition has used these weapons, the United Nations...identify the main culprit in this regard, which is the opposition."The Syrian government and the opposition blame each other for alleged chemical attacks in Aleppo in March and Homs in December. Syria wants UN investigators to look into only the reported Aleppo attack, but UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon wants the inquiry he has ordered to cover both incidents.Ban said on Monday that investigators have been gathering and analyzing available information on alleged chemical attacks in Syria, but access to the war-torn country was essential for a "credible and comprehensive inquiry."Iran counts itself as the biggest victim of chemical weapons attacks in recent history, saying up to 100,000 Iranians were exposed to the effects of Iraqi poison gas during the two neighbors' 1980-88 war. Other studies have estimated that around 60,000 were affected.Tehran, however, is suspected by Western powers of seeking another form of mass-destruction weapons capability - nuclear - with its shadowy uranium enrichment program. Iran denies this, saying it seeks nuclear energy only for peaceful purposes.
Iran: Use of chemical arms by Syria is 'red line'
Iran Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says Iran is opposed "not just to their use (of WMDs), but their production, accumulation."
