MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. Tehran backs a plan to carry out international investigation into the suspected chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun, in northern Syria’s Idlib Governorate, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at the meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Friday.
"As reported, the use of chemical weapons was a pretext for taking steps against sovereignty and territorial integrity of a sovereign country and a UN member-state, and this is a very dangerous step," Zarif said. "International investigation is needed into this fact," he stressed.
"There is the need to prevent a repeat of events in Khan Shaykhun," he said.
After the bilateral meeting, the sides will hold three-way talks attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem. "We will speak about the ways that can help us solve these issues," Zarif said.
The incident in Syria’s Khan Shaykhun occurred on April 4. Russia’s Defense Ministry said on that day the Syrian aircraft hit the workshops where terrorists were producing munitions with chemical agents. Washington accused Damascus of using chemical weapons. Following an order of US President Donald Trump, the US military fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from its warships in the Mediterranean on an air base in the Syrian Homs Governorate in early hours of April 7. The missile strike targeted what Washington claims was a starting location for the chemical attack.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow considered the US missile attack as an act of aggression against a sovereign state.