TEHRAN – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says to maintain the ecological balance of the Caspian Sea requires “a common perspective” by the regional countries.

The president made the comment in an interview with Kazakhstan's Kazinform International News Agency during his trip to the country.

He said The Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea is a common framework among the Caspian Sea littoral states, adding these countries need to engage with one another in order to protect the environment, bodies of water and stability in economic and trade trends.

The Iranian president said if the Caspian Sea littoral states work together within a clear framework, they can protect to sustain life, the environment and economic activities. “If the regional countries cannot work together from a common perspective, climate change will inflict heavy damage in the near future,” he warned.

The Caspian Sea faces major environmental threats from severe pollution and alarming water level drops, which devastate its unique ecosystems and create socioeconomic crises for bordering nations like Kazakhstan, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan.

A significant water level decline is among the key challenges, driven by climate change, increased evaporation, and reduced inflow from major rivers, especially the Volga. This causes coastlines to recede and exposes critical oil infrastructure.

Extensive pollution also severely impacts the sea. Oil and gas activities, including extraction, refining, spills, and abandoned wells, contaminate water and soil with heavy metals and toxins. Furthermore, untreated domestic sewage, industrial effluent, agricultural runoff, and plastic litter primarily enter the sea via its rivers.

These environmental degradations lead to significant ecosystem and biodiversity loss. Unique species like the Caspian seal and sturgeon are threatened by habitat loss, pollution, and overfishing, which in turn impacts caviar production and food security. Broader climate change impacts, such as warming temperatures, also increase evaporation and extreme weather events disrupt river flows, contributing to oxygen depletion (hypoxia) in deeper waters.

Earlier this year (2025), Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and the Special Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran for Caspian Sea Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi issued a message on the occasion of August 12, International Caspian Sea Day.

He described the Caspian Sea as the largest enclosed body of water in the world, not only as a common natural heritage of the five coastal countries, but also as a symbol of solidarity, civilization, and regional economic prosperity.

“The rich water area and ecosystem of this sea are a haven for rare aquatic species and a source of livelihood for people who have lived on its shores for centuries. The biodiversity of the Caspian Sea is a valuable treasure that we must preserve with national effort and international cooperation,” read part of the message.

He said Cooperation among the littoral states – Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan – is key to success in protecting the Caspian Sea.