TEHRAN – The Department of Environment has strongly condemned the recent Israeli attacks on fossil fuel tanks and storage facilities, saying it will be destructive to the natural environment and biodiversity.

The destruction of environment is a typical example of environmental crimes, which poses threat to biodiversity, and violates international commitments, the DOE highlighted.

Besides threatening public health and regional ecosystems, these irresponsible actions have led to the release of toxic substances and pollutants that will have long-term impacts on air quality, water resources, and natural habitats, IRNA reported.

These destructions are occurring at a time when all regional countries are trying to adhere to global agreements and conventions to managepollutant emissions.

The DOE calls on the United Nations Environment Program (UNDP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as well as other regional and global organizations to take necessary measures to stop further destructions and prevent environmental disasters.

While climate change and environmental crises are major challenges in the 21st century, the deliberate destruction of the environment and the pollution discharge caused by military attacks have to be addresseddecisivelyby theinternational communities. Iran calls for explicit condemnation of these actions by international institutions in global forums, and exert pressure on perpetrators of destruction to prevent the ongoing destruction of the region’s ecosystem.

 ‘Regional catastrophe’

In March, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani issued a stark plea to the United States and Israel to abandon threats of military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities, describing such escalation as a direct threat to regional survival.

In an interview with American Journalist Tucker Carlson, the Qatari leader warned that strikes would trigger “a war spreading across the region” and unleash an “environmental catastrophe” endangering millions.

“If Washington signs off on an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites, expect retaliation,” the PM declared, emphasizing that military action would destabilize U.S. strategic interests in West Asia.

Beyond geopolitics, the PM underscored the ecological apocalypse such an attack could unleash.

Contamination from struck nuclear sites, such as the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant would cripple desalination infrastructure, leaving arid Persian Gulf states without drinkable water.

“It’s not just Qatar—Kuwait, the UAE, all of us face this risk,” he said, adding that environmental security is a unifying regional priority.

“Without clean water, Qatar would run dry in three days. This isn’t hypothetical—it’s existential,” he said.

MT/MG