Did Iran Use Chemical Weapons on Protesters?

Excerpt

More than 30 human rights and civil society groups are urging the United Nations to investigate allegations that Iran’s regime deployed chemical weapons against protesters in January 2026. This call echoes concerns raised in a January 22, 2026, European Parliament resolution condemning the regime’s brutal suppression of nationwide protests.  

Eyewitnesses and victims from the violent crackdowns have reported that security forces used agents far more lethal than standard tear gas. “‘What was fired was not tear gas,’ one protester recounted. ‘People collapsed,’ another eyewitness said.” Iran, as a party to the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), has faced repeated US citations for non-compliance.

Given these serious allegations, Iran’s history of treaty violations, and the scale of the repression—which resulted in thousands killed—the claims demand thorough, independent scrutiny and sustained attention from the United States and its allies, as well as the CWC’s implementing multilateral body, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Testimonies and information gathered by Iran International and other sources raise serious concerns about the possible use of chemical weapons by security forces.

Andrea Stricker is deputy director of the Nonproliferation Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Gregory D. Koblentz is an associate professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government and director of the Biodefense Graduate Program.