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Video of Rafsanjani accusing Syrian government of using chemical weapons released

Iran Materials 3 September 2013 16:30 (UTC +04:00)
A video showcasing former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani accusing the Syrian government of using chemical weapons against its own people has been released.
Video of Rafsanjani accusing Syrian government of using chemical weapons released

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 3 / Trend, N. Umid, S. Isayev

A video showcasing former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani accusing the Syrian government of using chemical weapons against its own people has been released on Youtube.

It should be noted that before the video has been released online, Iran's Foreign Ministry has made a statement, noting that Rafsanjani's words have been distorted.

Speaking of the video, a low-quality recording, shot by mobile phone, shows Rafsanjani standing in front of the crowd, speaking, and saying that "...the people of Syria are the target of a chemical attack by their own government, and now they must wait for an attack by U.S.".

"The people of Syria have seen much damage in these two years, the prisons are overflowing and they've converted stadiums into prisons, more than 100,000 people killed and 8 millions displaced," Rafsanjani says in the video.


"Bloghnews" portal says in the article that Rafsanjani "should respond to the public opinion", neither Rafsanjani's office or his website have made any statements regarding the video.

Reuters reported on Sept. 1 that Rafsanjani's original words were edited, as the second version of Rafsanjani's speech was released later.

In the edited speech, Rafsanjani says that "On the one hand the people of Syria are the target of a chemical attack, and now they must wait for an attack by foreigners."

The earlier version of his remarks differed sharply from comments by other Iranian officials, who have said rebels trying to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were responsible for a poison gas attack on the outskirts of Damascus on Aug. 21.

In other remarks which were unchanged, Rafsanjani went on: "Right now America, the Western world along with some of the Arab countries are nearly issuing a clarion call for war in Syria - may God have mercy on the people of Syria," he said.

"The people of Syria have seen much damage in these two years, the prisons are overflowing and they've converted stadiums into prisons, more than 100,000 people killed and millions displaced," he added.

Rafsanjani, 79, was president of Iran in the 1990's. Rafsanjani is a close ally of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and chairs Iran's Expediency Council, which advises Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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