Persepolis Chemical Weapons Essay

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In the book The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi she recounts her life during the Iranian Revolution and the war that followed. During the Iranian revolution the Germans sold chemical weapons to Iran and Iraq during the duration of the revolution. These chemical weapons were a huge reason the medical resources were taken from the civilians and put towards the soldiers of the revolution. In the book, Satrapi talks about her trip to the hospital for her uncle and her witnessing victims of chemical warfare. Chemical Weapon use during the Iranian revolution and the coinciding war between Iran and Iraq was heavy. Using chemical weapons can cause an advance in tactical military benefits, severely hurt the victim, and lead to the banning of …show more content…
In The Complete Persepolis Satrapi recounts her visit to one of the hospitals where she lives. During her visit, her and her family are taken to see the Chief of Staff Dr. Fathi. Fathi shows them the victims of chemical weapons and explains how strapped they are because of all these victims (Pg. 122, Satrapi). Using chemical weapons can lead to an over stretched staff of doctors and other medical and military personnel and help counter attack an enemy opposition. In 1984 Iraq used chemical weapons more effectively than ever, “One of the most dramatic examples was in operation Khaybar I in February 1984. In this operation, the Iranians attacked through the Hawizah marshes, attempting to cut the Basra Baghdad road. In a notable example of battlefield interdiction, the Iraqis isolated the forward elements of the attacking force with Mustard, cutting it off almost from resupply by land. When the Iraqis counterattacked, they encountered Iranians who had no ammunition and who had not eaten for several days”(Ali, Pg.48), this example shows just how much chemical weapons can have on the tactics of war used by each country. Using chemical weapons may help a country in a war and even turn the tide of war completely but it can have disastrous effects on their

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