Declassified report: Did Hungary supply chemical weapons to Iraq?

Operation Iraq chemical weapons Hungary
Photo: U.S. Army Europe/Wikimedia Commons

A newly unearthed top-secret report from the archives reveals that Hungary intended to export chemical weapons to Iraq and Libya during the 1980s. The plan sparked serious diplomatic tensions with the United States after the CIA received information suggesting that Hungarian-made chemical agents had even been presented to Iraqi officials.

American concerns

As reported by Blikk, in the summer of 1985, the US State Department issued a stern warning to Hungary. According to the declassified document, the United States strongly objected to Hungary’s attempts to sell chemical weapons to Iraq and Libya. The US government expected immediate action from Budapest to halt the planned transactions.

During diplomatic discussions, Palmer, head of a US foreign affairs division, repeatedly raised the issue, underlining that Washington remained deeply concerned about the matter. The report states:

“Our embassy in Washington reported to the Hungarian ministry that on 16 July 1985, during a conversation covering various topics, Palmer returned to this subject. He noted that after our ambassador’s 7 June response—rejecting the claim and requesting specific evidence—he had consulted with the relevant authorities again. Based on that, it was clear that the US government remained seriously preoccupied with the proposed Hungarian export of chemical weapons to Iraq and Libya. They hoped their protest would result in the planned export being cancelled.”

Hungary denied the allegations

According to the documents, Hungarian officials denied the US accusations and requested concrete proof. Palmer responded by stating that the chemical weapons in question had indeed been demonstrated in an area close to Iraq, with the official presence of Iraqi representatives.

Although the documents do not confirm whether any shipment actually took place, Hungarian authorities appeared not to rule out the possibility. The names and quantities of the chemical substances remain undisclosed.

However, in light of the Iran–Iraq War and the genocide against the Kurds, the delivery of Hungarian-made chemical agents to the battlefield could have had devastating consequences.

Domestic production before the regime change

Retired Colonel József Kis-Benedek stated that prior to the fall of communism, Hungary had a covert but well-organised chemical weapons production programme. Manufacturing reportedly took place in a nitrochemical facility near Lake Balaton, within a strictly isolated section of the plant.

Hungary maintained significant military exports to both Iraq and Libya at the time, which included chemical substances. The shipments came in various forms, from cylinders to barrels. According to Kis-Benedek, the weapons in question were most likely sarin and VX nerve agents—compounds known only to state services and high-ranking political circles during that era.

This suggests that Hungary may have been a discreet yet active player in the global arms trade at the time.

While the production and potential export of chemical weapons were once shrouded in military secrecy, all such activities have since ceased. Following the fall of communism, Hungary joined international treaties aimed at the destruction of chemical weapons.

According to Kis-Benedek, if any stockpiles did exist, they have since been destroyed under expert supervision. The tightly guarded storage sites, secret production units, and official silence surrounding the programme have now become a part of history.

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