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News > World

'Unsubstantiated and Provocative' US Accusations Against Syria Slammed by Russia, Iran

  • President Bashar al-Assad has denied responsibility for the chemical weapons attacks the US used as justification for their military action against his government.

    President Bashar al-Assad has denied responsibility for the chemical weapons attacks the US used as justification for their military action against his government.

Published 28 June 2017
Opinion

The Trump administration accused the Syrian government of preparing a chemical attack, but has offered no evidence to support the claims.

Following a short and unexpected late-night statement released by the White House on Monday claiming that the United States has identified “potential preparations” of chemical weapons by the so-called Assad “regime,” Syria, Russia, and Iran have vehemently denied the unconfirmed accusations. They have alleged that the statement is potentially an attempt to justify an upcoming attack by the United States on Syrian government forces.

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Calling the Trump administration's statement "extremely reprehensible,” a Russian Senator, Konstantin Kosachev said the accusations could indicate that the United States is “preparing its own preemptive strike against Syrian troops and play on the (chemical weapons) issue that has already been promoted globally," according to Russian news agency TASS.

He continued to say that Washington is “trying to hoodwink the global public with another 'test tube containing some white powder' to justify its own acts of aggression.”

Late on Monday night, in a bluntly-worded statement, the Trump administration said that they had “identified potential preparation for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children... If... Mr. Assad conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price.”

No supporting evidence to back up the claims has been provided by United States officials since the accusation.

The accusations have also provoked a reaction from Iran, who slammed the United States' aggression toward the Syrian government as playing into the hands of the so-called Islamic State group, which seeks the overthrow of the Syrian government. The Syrian government, largely with Russian military support, has been one of the principal actors in countering the terrorist group in the region, and Iran has previously said that the U.S. government's policy in the region is actually a bolster to terrorism.

Although the Pentagon has said that its primary objective is the defeat of the Islamic State group, they have escalated military actions and threats against the Syrian government as well, adding confusion to their regional aims. Many analysts and commentators have alleged that the United States is ultimately pursuing goals of "regime change" in the nation.

 

"Another dangerous US escalation in Syria on fake pretext will only serve ISIS, precisely when it's being wiped out by Iraqi & Syrian people," Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif said on his twitter account Tuesday.

The day following the accusations, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited a Russian military base, where he inspected military equipment and fighter jets and received intelligence regarding terrorist groups present in Syria.

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“Russia provided weapons and ammunition to support Syria in its war against terrorism... the Syrian people will not forget that their Russian brethren stood alongside them in this patriotic war,” President Assad said according to Syrian news agency SANA.

Nikki Haley, the United States ambassador to the United Nations said during congressional testimony that the recent statements from Washington were not only directed at Assad, but was also a warning to Syria's key supporters Iran and Russia that they should reconsider supporting what she called the “barbaric” Assad government.

“Any further attacks done to the people of Syria will be blamed on Assad, but also on Russia and Iran who support him killing his own people,” she tweeted Monday night.

The head of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma called the accusations “unsubstantiated and provocative.”

Following an alleged chemical weapons attack that the United States accused the Syrian government of perpetrating, on April 6 earlier this year the U.S. Navy launched 59 Tomahawk missiles at Syrian government targets in retaliation, even though no official international investigation had occured.

Syria denied responsibility in the attacks, which served as official justification for the airstrikes.

The Kremlin spokesman argued that no there was no international investigation into the previous alleged chemical weapon attacks, making it impossible to determine that the Syrian government was responsible for them, according to TASS.

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