The U.S. Department of State has announced the imposition of sanctions on Hakiman Shargh Research Company due to its involvement in the Iranian regime’s chemical weapons research and development. These sanctions are enacted under Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters.
The United States has designated Hakiman Shargh Research Company for engaging in activities or transactions that materially contribute to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by the Iranian regime. This action follows repeated calls by the United States for Iran to address its noncompliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). These calls were reiterated during this week’s meeting of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Since 2018, the United States has assessed Iran’s regime as being in noncompliance with the CWC due to its failure to fully declare its chemical weapons-related activities and facilities. In 2024, the United States further assessed that Iran’s regime had violated the CWC by developing pharmaceutical-based agents as part of a chemical weapons program.
Abram Paley, the Deputy Special Envoy for Iran, commented on this sanction in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “Today, we imposed sanctions on a company involved in Iran’s chemical weapon research and development. Iran is a country of proliferation concern with respect to chemical weapons and remains in noncompliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. As such, we will continue to use all tools to counter the Iranian regime’s efforts to advance its chemical weapons program.”
In recent years, numerous reports have emerged regarding the Iranian regime’s plans to develop and use chemical weapons, including for suppressing peaceful protests in Iran. On January 10, 2021, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the declassification of a report on violations of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Chemical Weapons. This report, prepared by the U.S. Department of State in June 2020, detailed several instances of the regime’s efforts to develop and use chemical weapons, in direct violation of the Convention.
On May 28, 2024, British news website Tortoise Media reported, citing leaked reports from Iranian universities and statements from American and Israeli officials, that while global attention is focused on Iran’s nuclear program, the Islamic Republic is also developing chemical weapons. The report indicated that substances like fentanyl are being developed into aerosolized forms for use in controlling civilian riots. Nicole Shampaine, the U.S. ambassador to the OPCW in The Hague, stated, “Iran maintains a chemical weapons program that includes incapacitating agents for offensive purposes. This is an area of significant concern to us.”
Tortoise Media also referenced widespread poisonings in girls’ schools in Iran in 2022 and 2023, suggesting this could be indicative of the regime’s use of chemical or drug-based chemical weapons (PBAs) to quell anti-hijab protests. These incidents have raised alarm as they point towards a pattern of using chemical agents to suppress dissent and intimidate the population.
In addition to these findings, the report by Tortoise Media highlighted the lack of significant obstacles preventing the Iranian regime from disseminating chemical weapons. This underscores the urgency and importance of international efforts to curb Iran’s chemical weapons program.
The U.S. Department of State has affirmed its commitment to countering any efforts by the Iranian regime to develop chemical weapons. This includes measures to prevent such weapons from being utilized by Iran’s proxies and partners to support Iran’s destabilizing agenda of inciting and prolonging conflict worldwide. The imposition of sanctions on Hakiman Shargh Research Company is a step in the broader strategy to address and mitigate the threats posed by Iran’s chemical weapons activities.
