US soldiers wearing protective masks are seen during a handover ceremony of Taji military base from US-led coalition troops to Iraqi security forces, in the base north of Baghdad, Iraq August 23, 2020. (Reuters)

Even though the entire world has known that the invasion of Iraq was based on false pretenses that the country had weapons of mass destruction, the US continues to justify its violation of international law, said the Russian Ambassador to the US on Monday.

Commenting on the anniversary of the war on Iraq, Anatoly Antonov described it as a “dark page in American history." It was a time "when the US once again demonstrated a complete disregard for the UN Charter and the norms of international law” and violated Iraqi sovereignty using “open deceit” to justify its actions.

Antonov pointed out that the pretext for the war was “deliberately fabricated", highlighting the incident when Secretary of State Colin Powell waved a vial of powder at the UN while claiming that Iraq had WMDs.

"Hundreds of thousands of people died. Millions fled their homes, becoming refugees,” Antonov said.

He referred to the destruction of Fallujah and the massacres perpetrated by Blackwater mercenaries as long-remembered examples of US "democratization".

On this day, 20 years ago, #US forces started to bomb #Iraq signaling the launch of their invasion of the country. Millions of Iraqis suffered from the ruthless violence of US forces, notably in the infamous #AbuGhreib prison. pic.twitter.com/UA4MWduXpp
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 19, 2023

With a motive to create more turmoil and chaos, the US planted the seeds for the rise of ISIS and other terrorist organizations in the Middle East, which still threaten regional and international security to this day, Antonov noted.

Even 20 years later, the US continues to falsely assert that its invasion of Iraq is "justifiable". Antonov pointed out that the Americans think that they "have the right to do whatever they please.”

"This means no state can feel safe if it does something to displease Washington.”

As such, US troops are still present in the region “under the guise of the noble counter-terrorism mission.” They are currently trying to play world policy in an attempt to control resource-rich Iraq, the Ambassador pointed out.