Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (left) with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (right). Photo: www.direttanews.it.

Washington Post/AP – Syria has expanded its chemical weapons arsenal in recent years with help from Iran and by using front organizations to buy sophisticated equipment it claimed was for civilian programs, according to documents and interviews.

The buildup has taken place despite attempts by the United States and other Western countries to block the sale of precursor chemicals and so-called dual-use technology to Damascus, according to the documents.

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