TEHRAN - The US-Israeli attacks, with the widespread explosion of oil storage facilities in Tehran and Alborz provinces, the release of large amounts of air pollutants, and the encirclement of Tehran with a layer of smoke, are a clear example of "ecocide" or "environmental crime."

This inhumane act represents a serious threat to the lives of innocent people and civilians who, in addition to severe mental and emotional trauma, must endure the dangerous environmental consequences of this unjust imposed war, Shina Ansari, the head of the Department of Environment, has said.

These two warmongering regimes, of course, have a long history of using environmentally destructive methods in the region and the world. The use of Agent Orange by the United States in the war with Vietnam, which destroyed the country's rainforests, marked one of the most significant environmental disasters in the history of the world, she highlighted.

The use of weapons containing depleted uranium and white phosphorus by the Zionist regime in Gaza, which caused severe water and soil pollution, making the lands of northern Gaza practically uncultivable, as well as the use of chemical herbicides and the deliberate burning of Gaza's historic palm groves, are examples of the failure of these two warring states to adhere to the fundamental principles of international conventions, including the Geneva Convention, Ansari added.

“According to Article 55 of the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, the natural environment must be protected against widespread, severe and long-term damage in armed conflict. The 1976 Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Hostile Use of Environmental Modification (ENMOD) also prohibits any hostile use of environmental modification with widespread, long-lasting or severe effects.

It should be noted that experiences from previous military conflicts in the region over the past decades by the Zionist-American regimes, including attacks on oil and industrial facilities, have shown that the environmental consequences of such actions are not limited to a specific time or territory, and their effects can last for years; from widespread oil pollution to the release of toxic pollutants, the destruction of natural areas, the destruction of biodiversity, and threats to human health.

With such a history of violating environmental rights, the Department of Environment made official correspondence with the environment ministers of regional countries, as well as the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and warned about the environmental consequences of the war in the region.

The correspondences emphasized that any military action in a region with vast oil, gas, petrochemical, and maritime infrastructure is considered an example of creating a dangerous situation for regional and global peace, security, and the environment. A study of the environmental situation in war zones shows that despite claims by international institutions to prevent environmental disasters in wars, wherever the interests of global powers are at stake, these actions are unfortunately met with overlooking by international organizations, while the neglect of international organizations and countries claiming human rights in this regard not only leads to a threat to the global environment, but also ignores the rights of humans who are victims of wars.”