Iran president accuses US, Israel of causing environmental damage during war

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the US and Israel of inflicting severe environmental damage during attacks on the Islamic republic, in his speech on Wednesday at the UN Climate Change Conference in Turkey.

“The recent criminal and illegal aggression against Iran by America and the Zionist regime… has inflicted severe damage on the environment, releasing massive quantities of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,” Pezeshkian said.

He said that attacks on fuel facilities on a major gas field in Iran’s south “resulted in the emission of approximately 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide”.

“The deliberate strike on fuel depots near Tehran led to the release of another one million tonnes,” he added, calling for mechanisms to hold the US and Israel accountable.

While the specifics of the accusations could not be independently verified, several oil spills have been detected off the coasts of Gulf countries.

Iran’s foreign ministry has previously blamed the pollution on US military operations in the region, though both countries have targeted tankers in the Strait of Hormuz as they seek to enforce parallel blockades.

Pezeshkian arrived in Antalya, Turkey on Wednesday.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA said he had already held discussions with several leaders from participating countries during the visit.

The Middle East war broke out on Feb 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at countries across the region, while the militant groups it backs in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq also entered the fray.