Iran’s Chemical Weapons Development Raises Alarm Over Treaty Violations

• Hashim Sheikh
• . November 29, 2024
• . Update: November 29, 2024 3:04 pm
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Iran has been under fire for allegedly breaching the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) by increasing the scope of its chemical warfare capability for usage both domestically and abroad. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) claims that Iran has been concentrating on the creation of pharmaceutical-based chemical agents (PBAs), a class of dual-purpose substances with legal medical uses that can potentially be weaponized with detrimental intent. These events point to a concerning rise in Iran’s military capacity and call into doubt its adherence to international disarmament treaties.

Commonly utilized in medical or veterinary procedures, pharmaceutical-based chemical agents are compounds whose manipulation can be exploited as offensive weaponry. Depending on their composition and use, PBAs can either incapacitate or kill. For instance, fentanyl, a synthetic opioid intended to control extreme pain, can be weaponized into aerosols or other delivery systems to render big numbers of people useless. Likewise, a sedative, medetomidine has possible non-lethal but incapacitating action. Iran’s actions in this region highlight, according to the ISW, the dual-use character of these drugs, in which their possible negative effects exceed their approved applications.

Developments in Weaponizing PBAs in Iran

The results of the ISW rely on a November 26 assessment on Iran’s developments in chemical weapon manufacture from the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS). The paper emphasizes certain Iranian facilities and security complexes allegedly engaged in cost-effective synthesis of high-potency chemical compounds, creation of stable chemical combinations fit for weaponizing, and agent delivery system improvement. Delivery systems call for grenades, bullets, and drones able to distribute chemical aerosols.