Sardasht

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Coordinates: 36°9.1′N 45°29.5′E / 36.1517, 45.4917
Sardasht
Sardasht Location in Iran
Country	‎ Iran
Province	West Azarbaijan Province

Sardasht (in Kurdish and Persian: سردشت) , (Also Zardasht زردشت ) is a city in Northwestern Iran.According to the 2006 census, its population was 37,115 [1] southwest of Lake Urmia about 1,300 metres above sea level. It lies in the West Azarbaijan province. It was the first city in which civilians where attacked with chemical weapons by Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war. Although it happened even before Halabcha it didn't get much publicity at the time because Iran was being ignored by international community.

The population of Sardasht is Kurdish^{[citation needed]}. Sardasht is also known for the many villages around it and their reliability on the city's market.

1 1987 attacks on Sardasht with chemical weapons
2 Notes
3 External links
4 See also

[edit] 1987 attacks on Sardasht with chemical weapons

On June 28, 1987, Iraqi aircraft dropped what Iranian authorities believed to be mustard gas bombs on Sardasht, in two separate bombing runs on four residential areas. The numbers of victims were initially estimated as 10 civilians dead and 650 civilians injured.^[1]

Sardasht was the first town in the world to be gassed^{[citation needed]}. Out of a population of 20,000, 25% are still suffering severe illnesses from the attacks.^[2] The gas attacks occurred during the Iran-Iraq War, when Iraq frequently used chemical weapons against Iranian civilians and soldiers.

In April 2004, the government of the United States (US) was found by the Tehran Public Court to be liable for the attacks, through its previous support for the government of Saddam Hussein. The US government was ordered to pay $600 million compensation to the victims.^[3]