TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday urged the U.S. to stop selling arms to “Saddam’s reincarnations” instead of complaining about Iran’s defensive program.

In the 1980s, Saddam’s army rained missiles on Iranian cities. Saddam’s arms purchases were mainly from the Soviet Union and France. However, those countries that were selling arms to Saddam Hussein refused to sell weapons to Iran to defend itself. 

“For 8 YEARS, Saddam showered our cities with missiles & bombs provided by East & West. Meanwhile, NO ONE sold Iran any means of defense,” Zarif tweeted.

“We had no choice but building our own. Now they complain. Instead of skirting the issue, U.S. must end arms sales to Saddam's reincarnations.”

Western companies even provided materials to Iraq for building chemical weapons, which it used against Iranian civilians and soldiers as well as the Iraqi Kurds.
 
MH/PA