Sardasht, West Azerbaijan
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Sardasht سردشت |
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|---|---|
| city | |
 Sardasht
|
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| Coordinates: 36°09′19″N 45°28′44″E / 36.15528°N 45.47889°ECoordinates: 36°09′19″N 45°28′44″E / 36.15528°N 45.47889°E | |
| Country |
 Iran
|
| Province | West Azerbaijan |
| County | Sardasht |
| Bakhsh | Central |
| Elevation | 1,300 m (4,300 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 37,115 |
| Time zone | IRST (UTC+3:30) |
| • Summer (DST) | IRDT (UTC+4:30) |
Sardasht (Persian: سردشت; Kurdish: سهردهشت, Serdeşt; also Romanized as Sar Dasht) is a city in and the capital of Sardasht County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 37,115, in 8,224 families.
Sardasht is located 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 were attacked with chemical weapons by Saddam Hussein during the Iran–Iraq War.
The population of Sardasht is Kurdish. Sardasht is also known for the many villages around it and their reliance on the city's market.
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.
Out of a population of 20,000, 25% are still suffering severe illnesses from the attacks. 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.
Because Sardasht was not considered a military target, the population was both unprotected and unprepared for a chemical weapons assault. Living close to the border and to the war front, citizens had become accustomed to Iraqi bombardment with conventional weapons. However, people later told physicians that they did not know that the bombs carried chemical weapons; in fact, at first they had been relieved when the bombs did not explode.
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