US spurs Syria terrorists to use chemical weapons: prominent political analyst

A prominent political analyst says Washington is encouraging foreign-backed militants to use chemical weapons in Syria, while accusing President Bashar al-Assad of using the killer arms.

The comments were made by Professor Mohammad Marandi from the University of Tehran in a recent interview with China’s CCTV television channel.

“The US is encouraging the extremists, the Takfiris, to use more chemical weapons because every time they do it, the Syrian government will be blamed and the Americans will attack it. So they will kill Syrian people and America will attack Syria,” the political analyst said.

Marandi said the United States was repeating history a day after President Barack Obama announced that he would seek Congress approval to carry out a military strike against Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons on August 21.

The analyst said the US had acted similarly during the 1980-1988 Iraqi imposed war against Iran.

“According to Wikileaks documents, they told their diplomats to blame Iran. So they were helping [former Iraqi leader] Saddam [Hussein] use chemical weapons and were trying to convince the international community that the victim was carrying it out.”

According to professor Marandi, the US is “dishonestly” blaming Assad’s government while the evidence of chemical weapons use is in reality pointing towards the militants.

He also pointed to Washington’s convenient silence over a statement made by UN official Carla Del Ponte, who has reported indications suggesting the opposition had used sarin gas in Syria, back in April.

“The Americans not only have used chemical weapons in Vietnam, not only did they use depleted uranium in Iraq, but also during the… [Iraqi-imposed] war [against Iran], the Americans helped Saddam use chemical weapons against Iranians and Iraqi civilians, and I’m a victim of those chemical attacks,” Marandi noted.

He also said that prior to its invasion of Iraq in 2003, the US had also “given people very well-presented fabrications of evidence” in order to gain approval for an attack.

Meanwhile, a recent article circulated widely on the internet suggests that the militants had received chemical weapons from Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud.

Talk of a possible attack on Syria intensified after the opposition claimed Damascus used chemical weapons in the Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar on August 21.

The recent developments come as Iran, Russia, China, and the UN have been warning against a military intervention in Syria.