Vahidi Questions US Competence to Accuse Syria of Chemical Attack


Vahidi Questions US Competence to Accuse Syria of Chemical Attack

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Former Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi criticized the US for its war rhetoric against Syria, saying while Washington wants to strike Syria on charges of using chemical weapons, the US has huge stockpiles of such weapons, in defiance of the international laws.

The United States, which has huge stockpiles of chemical bombs it should have dismantled long ago, cannot accuse the Syria government of using such weapons against its people, said Vahidi in an address in his farewell ceremony and introduction of Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan as Iran’s new defense minister.

He blamed the recent developments in the region on the intervention of big powers and "weakness and gullibility" of some regional governments. 

In recent days the US has been trying to ramp up support for its plan for military intervention in Syria, as it accuses the government of President Bashar al-Assad of using chemical weapons against rebels in the suburbs of capital Damascus on August 21, a charge Syria has strongly denied.

But so far US President barack Obama does not seem to have made any progress in convincing the international community and his own people to support use of force against Syria.

Obama has not sought authorization from the United Nations Security Council, as he knows Russia would certainly block such a motion. And among its allies, only France has said it would use force, albeit only after Washington strikes.

On the home front, Obama faces a divided Congress and a skeptical, war-weary public. 

The latest opinion poll shows public opposition to involvement in the Syrian conflict is growing, with six out of 10 Americans against missile strikes.

According to a Washington Post count, only 23 senators have been willing to go on record in favor of military force, while 17 are against. It will likely take 60 of the Senate's 100 members to advance the measure to the House of Representatives.

In the House, where 218 votes will be required to pass the resolution, only 25 members are on record in support of military action so far, according to the Post, with 106 opposed.

 

 

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