TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has issued a stark call for the international community to establish robust legal mechanisms to address large-scale environmental destruction resulting from armed conflicts. Speaking at the international conference “Ecocide: The Silent War Crime,” held at Iran’s Department of Environment on October 11, 2026, Araghchi emphasized that the protection of the natural world must transcend political rhetoric to become a cornerstone of international accountability.
The minister argued that environmental degradation during wartime should be formally recognized as a distinct international crime. “The environment is the common heritage of humanity,” Araghchi stated. “It must not become an arena for rivalry, a tool of political pressure, or a victim of short-term economic and military considerations.”
During his address, Araghchi detailed the long-term ecological consequences of military campaigns across the Middle East, specifically citing conditions in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Iran. He underscored that the damage to water supplies, agricultural land, forests, and energy infrastructure often persists long after hostilities have ceased, creating a legacy of contamination that affects generations.
In his assessment of the humanitarian and environmental crisis in Gaza, Araghchi referenced reports from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which have characterized the destruction as unprecedented. He highlighted the collapse of water and sewage networks, the contamination of soil by military debris, and the widespread destruction of olive groves as critical threats to the region’s future viability. Similarly, regarding Lebanon, he pointed to widespread deforestation and coastal pollution caused by attacks on oil-storage facilities, noting that millions of square meters of land have been decimated.
Araghchi also addressed the security situation within Iran, condemning recent attacks on the nation’s energy infrastructure. He cited findings from the UNEP in March 2026, which documented how targeting oil refineries and depots in urban areas—including Tehran—had released hazardous pollutants into the atmosphere, soil, and groundwater. Recalling the “black rain” reported by citizens following these strikes, the minister warned that such incidents could irreparably disrupt local food chains and human health.
To combat this trend, the Foreign Minister proposed a tripartite framework for international action: the strengthening of legal criteria to define and identify severe environmental destruction; the creation of independent scientific bodies to document wartime damage; and an expansion of global cooperation to facilitate ecosystem restoration.
Critically, Araghchi called for an end to what he described as “double standards” in global environmental policy. He argued that international humanitarian law must be re-evaluated to place a greater emphasis on the environmental consequences of military strikes. Furthermore, he criticized the imposition of unilateral coercive measures, which he claimed restrict a nation’s access to the essential technologies and resources required to mitigate and recover from ecological disasters.
Looking ahead, Araghchi identified the upcoming COP31 climate conference as a vital platform for mainstreaming the issue of environmental war crimes. He urged world leaders to use the gathering to push for the legal recognition of ecocide, pledging that Iran would provide its full scientific and diplomatic support to these efforts.
“We must not allow aggressors to evade responsibility for their criminal actions,” Araghchi concluded. “Through cooperation and collective engagement, we must hold them accountable to ensure that the environment remains a protected space for all of humanity, rather than an expendable casualty of war.”
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