A fresh report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) stirs concerns, noting that policymakers have focused less on it compared to Iran’s more closely examined nuclear weapons program.
The FDD report details how the Iranian regime might have employed chemical weapons unconventionally during an unprecedented uprising that started in December 2025, a period of unrest not witnessed in Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Any use of chemical weapons by Iran would violate its obligations under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.
“The United States, its allies, and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) should probe credible claims that Iran’s regime used chemical weapons against its own citizens,” Andrea Stricker, deputy director of FDD’s nonproliferation program and the report’s author, told [Digital].
Iran’s illicit chemical weapons program is under renewed examination as the Trump administration seems nearer to launching military action against Iran and its nuclear weapons program.
While the U.S. has been having indirect talks with Iranian officials mediated by Oman in Geneva, the U.S. has boosted its military presence in the Persian Gulf, dispatching [a warship] to join dozens of other warships in the area.
On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted on X, stating, “Iran will resume talks with the U.S. in Geneva with the resolve to reach a fair and equitable agreement—in the shortest time feasible.”
The foreign minister asserted that Iran will not seek nuclear weapons under any circumstances but stressed that Iran will not surrender its right to utilize peaceful nuclear technology.
“A deal is attainable, but only if diplomacy is prioritized,” he added.
Despite the optimism and push for ongoing talks, there are still concerns that Iran will not make substantial concessions on its nuclear program, which could result in against the nation.
Some reports suggest that a broader campaign to overthrow the Islamic republic’s government, led by Ayatollah [name], is still a possibility.
Stricker stated, “If Washington launches strikes against Iran, it should seriously consider targeting the regime’s chemical weapons research and production facilities. Such action would help stop further development and potential use of these weapons and send a clear message that the regime cannot commit atrocities with impunity.”
Iran is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which upholds norms against state-owned chemical weapons, specifically banning states from developing, stockpiling, producing, or using chemical weapons, even for retaliatory purposes, and from receiving or transferring them to others.
Israel’s deputy ambassador to the Netherlands, Yaron Wax, said in July 2025 at a special OPCW meeting, “Over the past two decades, Iran has been developing a chemical weapons program using weaponized pharmaceutical agents.”
Wax noted that these agents affect the central nervous system and can be deadly even in small quantities.
The ambassador stated that at the Shahid Meisami Research Complex, which Israel destroyed in June 2025, Iran’s Shahid Meisami Group (SMG) was working on fentanyl opioid-derived tactical munitions for military use. Israel also believes these pharmaceutical-based agents were transferred to [name], Bashar al-Assad, and Iraqi Shia militias.
According to the U.S. Intelligence Community, Iran started developing its chemical weapons program in 1983 during its war with Iraq, in response to chemical attacks by Saddam Hussein’s regime.
As recently as 2024, the U.S. has repeatedly found Iran not in compliance with its obligations under the CWC.
In a November 2024 post, the Iranian mission to the United Nations countered the accusations, stating, “Iran, a victim of Western-donated chemical weapons used by the Saddam regime, is a responsible member of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Over the past several decades, no instance of Iranian violation has been recorded. The current baseless reports are merely psychological warfare by the Zionist regime following its recent defeat on the Lebanese front.”
Stricker states that the U.S. and the international community have failed to address its illegal chemical weapons program, and meaningful action must be taken to prevent Iran from transporting banned substances to its malevolent proxy actors in the Middle East.
The report states that the U.S. and OPCW should launch a pressure campaign against Iran, exposing the regime and publicizing any violations. The report recommends that the Trump administration demand a formal ultimatum for Iran to comply with the convention and accept monitoring and verification mechanisms.
FDD also proposes that Israel should ratify the CWC and operate within the OPCW, which would enhance Israel’s credibility in combating Iranian violations.
The report states that as a last resort, the U.S. should consider launching strikes on regime chemical weapons facilities or supporting Israeli efforts if actionable intelligence shows Iran’s chemical weapons activities or a renewed attempt by the regime to use such illegal weapons to suppress anti-government protests.
Stricker stated, “The only solution to Iran’s persistent WMD threat is for the United States and Israel to weaken the regime’s hold on power. Until then, the two nations will periodically have to deal with Tehran’s capabilities whenever they threaten regional peace, like playing whack-a-mole.”