“It is concerning that the Zionist regime [of Israel] … is not a member of any treaty on the prohibition of weapons of mass destruction including the Chemical Weapons Convention,” Afkham said on Sunday.

“We call on the [UN] Security Council and the international community to adopt serious measures to [make] this [Israeli] regime join the Chemical Weapons Convention,” the Iranian spokesperson stated.

On September 11, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said the country wants to join the Chemical Weapons Convention following a Russian proposal for Damascus to place its chemical weapons under international control.

“We want to join the convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons. We are ready to observe our obligations in accordance with that convention, including providing all information about these weapons,” Muallem added.

On September 9, the Syrian foreign minister welcomed the Russian proposal.

Following Muallem’s remarks, US President Barack Obama, whose administration has been intensively campaigning for strikes on Syria, suggested that the planned strikes could be averted if the Syrian “gesture” is “real.” He also asked Congress to delay a scheduled vote on the strikes on Syria.

The recent war rhetoric against Syria first gained momentum on August 21, when the militants operating inside the Middle Eastern country and its foreign-backed opposition claimed that over a thousand people had been killed in a government chemical attack on suburban Damascus.

The Syrian government categorically rejected the accusation.

HH/HH