TEHRAN – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has proposed developing and implementing a long-term regional plan under the Tehran Convention to address the declining water level of the Caspian Sea.

Speaking at an extraordinary summit of Caspian littoral states in Turkmenistan on Friday, Pezeshkian said environmental cooperation could serve as an important platform for building trust and strengthening regional convergence at a time when the world is grappling with multiple crises, geopolitical rivalries, wars, unilateral sanctions, and the weakening of multilateralism.

He noted that the Tehran Convention and its protocols provide a comprehensive framework for cooperation among the Caspian littoral states on a range of environmental issues, including oil pollution, land-based sources of marine pollution, biodiversity conservation, transboundary environmental impact assessments, climate change, and the decline in the Caspian Sea’s water level.

Iran believes that the first principle in addressing the crisis should be reliance on science, shared data, and regional cooperation, Pezeshkian said.

He acknowledged that a comprehensive and definitive understanding of the relative contributions of various factors to the Caspian Sea’s declining water level had yet to be achieved. Climate change, rising temperatures and evaporation, shifting precipitation patterns, changes in river flows, and human interventions must all be examined within an integrated scientific framework to identify effective solutions and mitigate the consequences, he added.

Given the rapid pace of change, the region must move beyond merely observing and describing the crisis toward a new phase of joint crisis management, Pezeshkian stressed.

He also said lasting peace, stability, and security in the Caspian region could be ensured only if the littoral states respected one another’s sovereignty and legitimate interests and prevented the strategic water body from becoming an arena for destructive rivalries or the presence and interference of extra-regional powers.

The entry of fuel and pollutants into the marine environment, damage to coastal habitats, contamination of water and sediments, and harm to biodiversity could have consequences extending far beyond the immediate site of an incident, he warned.

Iran therefore emphasizes the importance of preserving the Caspian Sea’s peaceful character and protecting its environment even in situations of armed conflict, the president said.

Pezeshkian underscored the central role of the Tehran Convention, which was signed by the five Caspian littoral states in 2003 and serves as the region’s principal legally binding framework for protecting the marine environment of the Caspian Sea. The convention recently marked the 20th anniversary of its entry into force, with the seventh meeting of its contracting parties held in Tehran with the active participation of all littoral states.

Welcoming the summit’s decision to establish a high-level commission comprising deputy heads of government from the Caspian littoral states, Iran proposed developing and implementing a long-term regional plan under the Tehran Convention to address the declining water level.

According to Pezeshkian, the proposed plan should cover at least seven key areas:
1. Joint scientific monitoring of the factors contributing to the decline in water levels, alongside the development and implementation of a comprehensive regional action plan.
2. Stronger joint mechanisms to combat marine pollution and protect biodiversity.
3. A strengthened role for the Tehran Convention, including more effective implementation mechanisms.
4. Adaptation of coastal infrastructure and ports to future changes.
5. Protection and restoration of wetlands, habitats, and ecologically sensitive areas.
6. Support for local communities, fisheries, and livelihoods of the millions of people who depend on the Caspian Sea.
7. Mobilization of financial and technological resources to implement environmental protection and adaptation measures.

Pezeshkian said the region faced a historic choice: either passively observe the Caspian Sea’s declining water level as a natural and inevitable process and wait for its consequences, or draw on science, regional cooperation, and political will to reduce the damage and strengthen the resilience of this unique ecosystem.

Iran’s choice, he said, was cooperation, science, and the protection of the Caspian Sea, as well as preserving the shared heritage for future generations.

He called on the littoral states to turn the Caspian Sea into a new symbol of regional cooperation, describing it as a bridge connecting nations rather than a dividing line.

“The Caspian is not just a sea; it is a shared heritage,” Pezeshkian said, adding that protecting this heritage was a shared historic responsibility for all the countries of the region.