WMD Timeline
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Weapons of Mass Destruction Timeline

Date WMD Type Event
February 29, 1972 Nuclear Iraq and IAEA sign nuclear safeguards agreement
1974 Nuclear Jacques Chirac and Saddam Hussein discuss Iraqi purchase of a French reactor
November 18, 1975 Nuclear Iraq and France nuclear cooperation agreement
November 4, 1976 Nuclear Iraq and France exchange letters requiring IAEA safeguards on their nuclear cooperation
September 1980 Iran-Iraq war starts
June 7, 1981 Nuclear Israel launches pre-emptive raid to destroy Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor. 
August 1983 Chemical Iraq uses mustard gas against Iranians and Kurds in Hajj Umran.  Fewer than 100 casualties.
October 1983 Chemical Iraq uses mustard gas against Iranians and Kurds in Panjwin.  3,000 casualties.
February 1984 Chemical Iraq uses mustard gas against Iranians in Majnoon Island.  2,500 casualties.
March 1984 Chemical Iraq uses Tabun gas against Iranians in Al Basrah.  50 to 100 casualties.
March 1985 Chemical Iraq uses mustard and Tabun gas against Iranians in Hawizah Marsh.  3,000 casualties.
February 1986 Chemical Iraq uses mustard and Tabun gas against Iranians in Al Faw.  8,000 to 10,000 casualties.
December 1986 Chemical Iraq uses mustard gas against Iranians in Umm ar Rasas.  Thousands of casualties.
April 1987 Chemical Iraq uses mustard and Tabun gas against Iranians in Al Basrah.  5,000 casualties. 
October 1987 Chemical Iraq uses mustard gas and nerve agents against Iranians in Sumar and Mehran.  3,000 casualties.
March 1988 Chemical Iraq uses mustard gas and nerve agents against Iranians in Halabjah.  Hundreds of casualties. 
August 1988 Iran-Iraq war ends in stalemate
August 2, 1990 Iraq Invades Kuwait
November 29, 1990 UN Security Council authorizes force if Iraq does not withdraw from Kuwait
November 30, 1990 Secretary of State James Baker meets with Tariq Aziz
January 17, 1991 Air war against Iraq begins
February 23, 1991 Ground war against Iraq begins
March 3, 1991 Iraq accepts UN resolutions and cease fire terms
April 1991 All UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) created to inspect for WMD
July 18, 1991 Nuclear IAEA declares Iraq has violated its safeguards agreement by not submitting nuclear material and relevant facilities in its uranium enrichment program to IAEA inspection.  
October 31, 1991 All UNSCOM inspectors removed from Iraq
December 16-19, 1991 All Operation Desert Fox bombing campaign launched by US and UK to destroy Iraqi WMD
June 1993 U.S. hits Iraqi intelligence headquarters with cruise missile in response to assasisnation attempt on former President Bush
February 13, 1998 All US Government White Paper issued on Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs
December 17, 1999 All UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) created to replace UNSCOM
September 11, 2001 Attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon
January 29, 2002 All President Bush's State of the Union address declaring Iraq, Iran and North Korea an "axis of evil."
September 12, 2002 President Bush addresses UN General Assembly, challenging the UN to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of Iraq or stand aside for the US and likeminded nations to act.  
October 10, 2002 US Congress authorizes use of force against Iraq
November 8, 2002 All UN Security Council passes resolution 1441 beginning new round of UN inspections
November 18, 2002 All UN weapons inspectors return to Iraq.
January 28, 2003 All President Bush's State of the Union address says that Iraq is deceiving, rather than disarming.  
February 5, 2003 All Secretary of State Colin Powell makes presentation to UN Security Council of intelligence showing Iraqi use of WMD
March 17, 2003 President Bush issues ultimatum to Saddam to leave Iraq in 48 hours.  UN weapons inspectors advised to leave Iraq.  
March 19, 2003 US and UK open war with decapitation attack to try to kill Saddam Hussein
April 5, 2003 US forces enter Baghdad
April 9, 2003 Saddam Hussein's statue pulled down in Baghdad
May 3, 2003 All Several Iraqis linked to WMD are in American custody.  Several suspicious items have been found, but on further analysis turn out to not to be WMD.  No weapons containing chemical, biological or nuclear materials found so far.  The Iraqi in charge of bioweapons reported that they had all been destroyed.  Bush says he is convinced WMD will be found.  
May 4, 2003 Nuclear The New York Times and Washington Post report on May 4 that the U.S. is doing a poor job of protecting known nuclear materials inventoried by the IAEA. 
May 5, 2003 Nuclear The IAEA asks the U.S. to let it check the safeguarded inventory of nuclear materials in Iraq in light of the above reports that the U.S. had allowed the looting of nuclear facilities. 
May 6, 2003` Chemical or biological U.S. forces have been given a truck that may have been a mobile weapons lab for biological or chemical weapons, but no actual weapons were found in the truck.
May 27, 2003 All There have still been no weapons of mass destruction found.  Those favoring invasion just assumed Saddam had WMD.  It is not clear how good the intelligence on WMD was before the invasion. 
May 31, 2003 Chemical or biological There is increasing criticism from commanders in the field and intelligence professionals of poor intelligence on Iraqi WMD.
June 6, 2003 Chemical and biological Defense Intelligence Agency report states that the DIA did not have reliable information that Iraq was developing WMD, contrary to what Defense Department officials were saying publicly. 
June 7, 2003 Chemical and biological Public debate heats up over whether Bush Administration officials lied to the American people about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
July 5, 2003 All No significant new information about WMD.  It looks like senior officials lied to the American public in order to start the Iraq war. 
January 7, 2004 All The Washington Post prints the most thorough article yet about the state of WMD in Iraq and the United States' ignorance of what was going on as it was planning for war.