Iraq Admits Chemical Arms Use

Iraq’s foreign minister today acknowledged for the first time that his country had used chemical weapons in its war with Iran but said the Iranians had used them first.

Foreign Minister Tarik Aziz was asked at a news conference about Iranian allegations that Iraq had used the deadly weapons against its Persian Gulf war foe. “The U.N. report says both sides have used them. Iran started its use. We were victims many times, since the early beginning of the conflict,” Aziz said. Asked whether both his country and Iran had used such weapons, he replied: “Both sides.”