Iran’s foreign minister warns of war’s environmental impacts on the region
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the environment can “no longer be considered a silent victim of war”.
“In recent years in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, we have witnessed how military attacks in addition to human casualties and the destruction of vital infrastructure have left deep and sometimes lasting effects on the environment,” he said.
“In Gaza, the scale of the environmental disaster is so vast that the United Nations Environment Programme has spoken of unprecedented environmental damage.
“In Lebanon, the use of weapons and fires caused by attacks have destroyed parts of forests and agricultural lands. Reports and documents submitted to the UN indicate that millions of square metres of land have been burned and tens of thousands of olive trees have been damaged.”
Araghchi explained that US-Israeli attacks on Iranian oil, refinery and energy facilities have also caused “serious environmental risks”.
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