The Iranian authorities have installed in more than 50 cities defense systems intended to intercept possible "
biological, radiological and chemical attacks
", announced the Ministry of Defense.
Quoted on Saturday evening by Iribnews, the state television site, the Deputy Minister of Defense, General Mehdi Farahi, affirmed that his ministry "
has equipped 51 cities with the necessary facilities and equipment (... ) to identify and monitor all kinds of biological, radiological and chemical threats
”.
The defense system will also allow Iranian forces to "
provide and coordinate the equipment necessary to respond to these threats
" and protect the population, according to General Farahi.
During the war between Iran and Iraq (1980-1988), the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had a massive recourse to chemical weapons.
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On June 28, 1987, the Iranian city of Sardasht, a Kurdish town in the north-west of the country, was the target of an Iraqi bombardment with mustard gas - the first in an urban area - killing 119 people and injuring 1,518.
In March 2021, on the anniversary of this attack, former Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said that his country must be ready to defend itself against possible nuclear, biological and chemical attacks.
Iran has been engaged for 16 months in negotiations with the major powers (the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany, Russia and China) to save the agreement on the nuclear program of 2015 ( JCPOA) from which Donald Trump's United States withdrew three years later.
But the agreement is the subject of fierce opposition, starting with that of Israel, the number one enemy of the Islamic Republic.
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On August 28, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid affirmed that the army was "
instructed to prepare for all scenarios
" to prevent Iran from acquiring atomic weapons.
The Israelis “
wouldn't have time to take action if they decided to do this kind of thing
,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi replied.
