What Iran’s New Chemical Weapon Could Do to the World Will Blow Your Mind!

Iran is believed to have taken a dangerous step by weaponizing pharmaceutical agents to either kill or incapacitate people. These chemical weapons, which target the central nervous system, could pose severe risks, especially if Iran shares them with militant allies like Hezbollah and Hamas. One of the most alarming possibilities is that Iran has developed chemical weapons based on synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which can incapacitate both soldiers and civilians when dispersed in grenades or artillery.

Pharmaceutical-based agents (PBAs) are essentially powerful drugs that have been turned into weapons capable of incapacitating or killing, depending on the exposure. Experts warn that Iran might have provided these agents to its proxies, such as Hezbollah, enabling them to potentially use PBAs to abduct Israeli soldiers and civilians.

Matthew Levitt, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, writes about this growing threat. “At a time of growing regional instability in the Middle East, largely the result of the militancy of Iranian proxies, the threats posed by Iran’s weaponized PBA program can no longer be overlooked,” Levitt pointed out in a piece for the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office describes PBAs as chemicals derived from pharmaceutical compounds, which might have medical applications but are capable of causing serious illness or death when misused. These include drugs like fentanyl and animal tranquilizers.

Once inhaled, these agents act on the central nervous system, making the victims lose consciousness. Levitt elaborated, saying, “Once inhaled, these agents cause victims to lose full consciousness and enable the forces deploying them to advance quickly and quietly and/or take captive the unconscious victims.”

Iran’s involvement with chemical weapons is rooted in its past experiences during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. During the conflict, Iran was subjected to chemical attacks from Iraq, which used nerve agents like Sarin and mustard gas, leading to up to one million casualties. Interestingly, Iran also used mustard gas on a few occasions during the war. More recently, Israel suspects that Iran used PBAs against rebels in the Syrian Civil War, and there are reports suggesting that Iran-backed militias in Iraq have employed these agents against anti-government protesters.

“The problem is that Iran is right when they said they’ve been victims of chemical weapons in terrible ways during the Iran-Iraq war,” Levitt told Business Insider. “But the reality is they themselves have been using these as well.”

The U.S. and its allies have long expressed concern over Iran’s pursuit of pharmaceutical-based weapons, calling it a violation of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the production and use of toxic chemicals that can cause harm or death. Countries that signed the treaty, including Iran, are bound to destroy any existing chemical weapons stockpiles.

Yet, the evidence continues to mount that Iran is actively developing PBAs. In 2014, the Chemistry Department at Imam Hossein University in Iran sought large quantities of medetomidine, a veterinary sedative that can be aerosolized to incapacitate people. The U.S. State Department’s 2023 report revealed that Iran’s Chemistry Department sought more than 10,000 doses of this drug, a demand that appeared inconsistent with its stated research purposes.

Furthermore, in September 2023, Iranian hackers exposed confidential documents revealing the development of grenades designed to release medetomidine, an alarming development that echoes past use of pharmaceutical gases in warfare. One significant incident involved the 2002 Dubrovka theater hostage crisis, where Russian forces used fentanyl or a similar opioid gas to subdue rebels. While the gas incapacitated the rebels, it tragically killed over 130 hostages in the process.

Unfortunately, curbing the development of PBAs is a challenging task, as many of the substances involved have legitimate uses in law enforcement and medicine. Tear gas, for example, is used by police forces for crowd control, even though it is banned as a battlefield weapon.

“The problem is very, very difficult to resolve, which is why you’ve seen such a focus on diplomatic efforts, sanctions, and some law enforcement actions,” Levitt said.

The biggest concern with Iran’s PBAs arises if Tehran provides these weapons to its proxies like Hezbollah. In this case, Iran could gain multiple layers of cover and deniability, allowing it to distance itself from the use of such weapons while still reaping the strategic benefits. This is particularly troubling for Israel, which fears that Hezbollah might use PBAs to incapacitate Israeli soldiers or border guards, making it easier to target and capture them.

Israel’s ongoing military operations in Lebanon have significantly weakened Hezbollah’s missile arsenal. However, the militant group still has stocks of grenades and mortar shells, which could be equipped with PBAs. This possibility means that U.S. forces could encounter these chemical agents if they clash with Iranian-backed groups in the future. (In contrast, the U.S. successfully destroyed its chemical weapons stockpile in 2023.)

While Levitt emphasizes that PBAs are not as deadly as larger chemical weapons, such as nerve agents, he notes that they still pose a significant threat. “This is not a strategic threat. It is a tactical weapon,” Levitt explained. Despite their limited impact, the use of chemical weapons creates a psychological fear, as the mere mention of chemical agents like fentanyl gas evokes the terror associated with chemical warfare.

Michael Peck, the author of this report, is a defense writer whose work has been featured in outlets like Forbes and Foreign Policy. His expertise in military issues adds depth to the ongoing concerns surrounding the threat of weaponized pharmaceutical agents.

Final Thoughts

While the risks posed by Iran’s pharmaceutical-based weapons are troubling, they are still a long way from being classified as weapons of mass destruction. However, their potential for use in tactical scenarios could be devastating, particularly if they are deployed by Iran’s proxies in regions already marred by conflict. The international community faces significant challenges in addressing this emerging threat, and continued vigilance is essential to prevent the misuse of these dangerous substances.