ATHENS (Sputnik) — Iran considers that the alleged chemical attack in Syria's Idlib province on April 4 was a provocation staged by Turkey and Jabhat Fatah al Sham terrorist group (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra), outlawed in Russia, a diplomatic source told Sputnik.
"Iran considers the chemical attack in Syria to be a joint provocation of Turkey and Jabhat al-Nusra," the source from the Iranian delegation, which is currently taking part in the Ancient Civilizations Forum in Athens, said.
According to the source, Iran stands for the international investigation into the incident.
On April 4, the alleged chemical weapons incident in Syria’s Idlib province claimed the lives of some 80 people and inflicted harm on an additional 200 civilians. The Syrian National Coalition of Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, as well as a number of Western states, accused the Syrian government troops of carrying out the attack, while Damascus has refuted these allegations, saying it did not possess chemical weapons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on April 6 that groundless accusations in the chemical weapons incident in Syria's Idlib were unacceptable before the investigation into the matter had been carried out.
However, the incident was used as a pretext for a US missile strike against the Ash Sha’irat airbase carried out late on April 6. US President Donald Trump characterized the strike as a response to the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government troops, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it was a violation of the international law.
