Report: Iran building Fentanyl-based Chemical weapons

Iran’s development of fentanyl-based chemical weapons represents a concerning evolution in the realm of chemical warfare, raising alarms about the potential for these powerful pharmaceutical agents to be deployed in both military and civilian contexts. Experts warn that the weaponization of such drugs—designed to incapacitate or lethally affect targets by impacting their central nervous system—could introduce new, hard-to-detect threats, especially if Iran supplies these agents to regional militant allies like Hezbollah or Hamas.

Pharmaceutical-based agents (PBAs), like those Iran is reportedly developing, include synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, which are highly potent and can incapacitate or kill depending on dosage and exposure. If weaponized, PBAs could be deployed in grenades, artillery shells, or other devices, allowing attackers to silently and effectively incapacitate soldiers, border guards, or civilians. This capability is particularly worrisome if Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah employ these agents, potentially using them to capture or subdue Israeli personnel or civilians.

Matthew Levitt, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, recently highlighted the threats posed by Iran’s PBAs in an article for the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point, stating, “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.” According to Levitt, PBAs could empower these proxies with nontraditional weaponry, giving them a “covert means” of incapacitating targets, while providing Iran plausible deniability.

Pharmaceutical-based agents are defined by the U.S. Government Accountability Office as chemicals derived from medicinal compounds. These agents, which may have legitimate uses in medicine or animal care, can cause severe harm or death when used as weapons. Their effects on the human nervous system can be profound—leading to unconsciousness, respiratory arrest, or death. Once inhaled or absorbed, these agents incapacitate victims, creating opportunities for militants to strike or kidnap, a scenario Israeli security forces have already started planning against.

The development of PBAs by Iran is troubling given its history with chemical weapons. During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, Iran suffered extensive chemical attacks from Iraq, which utilized agents like sarin and mustard gas. In retaliation, Iran has intermittently used mustard gas. More recently, Israeli intelligence believes Iran employed PBAs during the Syrian Civil War, and some reports indicate that Iran-backed militias in Iraq may have used similar agents against anti-government protesters.

While Iran officially denies manufacturing PBAs, several developments suggest otherwise. In 2014, Iran’s Imam Hossein University reportedly sought large quantities of medetomidine—a tranquilizer studied for its aerosolization potential—as part of research into incapacitating agents. Documents obtained by anti-Iranian hackers in 2023 revealed that an Iranian military university had experimented with grenades designed to disseminate medetomidine, further pointing to Iran’s pursuit of PBAs as tactical weapons.

The use of such weapons also brings to mind the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis, where Russian security forces used a gas containing fentanyl derivatives to subdue Chechen militants holding hostages. Though the gas neutralized the hostage-takers, it also killed over 130 hostages, underscoring the extreme risks associated with deploying pharmaceutical agents in confined spaces or populated areas.

Limiting the spread of PBAs presents significant challenges, as many of these chemicals have legitimate law enforcement and medical applications. Tear gas, for example, is widely used in riot control, though it remains banned as a battlefield weapon. The dual-use nature of PBAs complicates global efforts to monitor and restrict them, and while the U.S. and its allies are pushing for sanctions and diplomatic restrictions, enforcement remains a formidable task.

For Iran’s allies, PBAs could become part of a calculated strategy to destabilize borders and create strategic confusion. Hezbollah, for instance, could use PBAs along Israel’s northern border, either incapacitating Israeli troops or enabling the seizure of towns with less resistance. By deploying these agents, Hezbollah could incapacitate Israeli soldiers, making border infiltration easier and allowing militants to capture territory or civilians with minimal direct conflict.

While not on par with high-lethality weapons like nerve agents, PBAs represent a tactical threat that could alter security dynamics in the Middle East. Their selective deployment could allow Iran and its proxies to operate under the radar, blurring the lines between law enforcement and warfare. For the U.S. and Israel, awareness and defensive measures against such weapons are becoming an increasingly critical part of their national security strategies.