Iraq
Country Spotlight
Under Saddam Hussein, Iraq pursued every major category of WMD, but dismantled its programs under UN supervision following defeat in the 1991 Gulf War. Nonetheless, unfounded U.S. and Western suspicions that it was reconstituting its WMD programs led to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and regime change. Today, it does not have WMD programs or ballistic missiles.
See Iraq’s performance in:
Region Middle East and North Africa
16 Known military uses of chemical weapons during Iran-Iraq War
690+ Metric tons of chemical weapons agents destroyed by the UN
12,500 Liters of undeclared biological agents reportedly destroyed
90+ Scud missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and Israel during 1991 Gulf War
Nuclear
- Began nuclear weapons development under then-Vice President Saddam Hussein in 1970s
- IAEA Director General announced in 2003 no evidence of a reconstituted nuclear weapons program
- Announced in 2023 interests in peaceful nuclear power program to diversify energy resources; Iraq and IAEA discussed plans to develop a peaceful nuclear energy program in 2024
- Signed a Country Programme Framework (CPF) for 2024-2029 with the IAEA in September 2024
Biological
- Produced large quantities of botulinum toxin, anthrax, and aflatoxin during the 1980s and early 1990s
- 166 R400 bombs and 25 Al Hussein missile warheads were filled with biological agents and deployed but never used
- Iraq Survey Group confirmed that Iraq abandoned its biological weapons program in 1991
- Submits Confidence Building Measures yearly with the BWC Implementation Support Unit
Missile
- Acquired 819 Scud missiles from the USSR during the 1970s and 1980s, and fired hundreds of missiles at Iran during the Iran-Iraq War
- Pursued ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles during the 1990s
- Concealed majority of ballistic missile program from the UN during 1990s inspections
- Subject to missile and rocket strikes on U.S. military bases in Iraq by Iran-backed militias
Chemical
- Used mustard gas and tabun against Iranian and Kurdish populations during Iran-Iraq War
- Unilaterally declared all chemical weapons disarmament issues resolved in 1998
- Various chemical weapons were found on the Iraqi black market after the 2003 Iraq War
