Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone strike targets vehicle on Zahrani - Tyre Highway.
Israeli media: Israeli Prime Minister's Office: The security cabinet has approved Netanyahu's proposal on Gaza.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The Lebanese Council of Ministers approved the general objectives of the US paper unanimously by the ministers who remained in the session.
Hezbollah, Amal Movement ministers withdraw from the Lebanese cabinet session as it discusses the proposal of US envoy Tom Barrack.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: An Israeli drone bombed a car in the town of Kfardan in the Baalbek district.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent: An Israeli raid targeted the outskirts of the town of al-Qatrani, Jezzine District
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent: Israeli warplanes launch a raid targeting the vicinity of the Burguz area
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in southern Lebanon: An Israeli airstrike targeted the outskirts of Jbaa in the Iqlim al-Tuffah region
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in southern Lebanon: An Israeli airstrike targeted the outskirts of the town of Ansar
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on the al-Mahmoudiyah area

Iran accuses 'Israel' of environmental war crimes during aggression

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Israeli media
  • 13 Jul 2025 21:02
4 Min Read

Iran's Department of Environment denounces 'Israel’s' attacks on fossil fuel storage sites and industrial infrastructure as "a destructive assault on the natural environment."

Listen
  • x
  • Iran accuses 'Israel' of environmental war crimes during war
    Iranian Red Crescent Society rescuers work at the scene of an explosion after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on June 13, 2025. (AP)

Iran’s Department of Environment (DOE) has accused "Israel" of committing environmental war crimes during its recent 12-day aggression on the country, warning that attacks on oil depots, refineries, and protected natural areas have triggered a wave of toxic pollution endangering public health, biodiversity, and ecological stability across the region.

In a statement released Sunday, the DOE condemned "Israel’s" strikes on fossil fuel storage and industrial infrastructure, describing them as "a destructive assault on the natural environment and biodiversity."

The agency cautioned that the environmental fallout could have lasting effects on Iran’s air quality, water systems, and fragile ecosystems.

The accusation follows Israeli airstrikes that, according to Iranian officials, hit multiple oil depots in western and southern Tehran, igniting massive fires and releasing clouds of hazardous smoke. The DOE reported that more than 900,000 acres of protected land were impacted, with at least 12 conservation areas reportedly set ablaze.

The Israeli occupation targeted oil reserves close to Tehran which burned "millions of kilograms of different types of fuel, leading to the leakage and spread of tons of greenhouse gases and tons of toxic gases that have been spread into the air," the department stated, adding, “For all 12 days of the conflict, Tehran did not have a single day of clean air."

Toxic fallout, infrastructure damage raise alarms

Related News

Iran warns nuclear talks must not become a waste of time

Iran has never and will never bow down to aggression: Araghchi

Additional damage was reported in the city of Rey, as well as at petrochemical facilities in Kangan and Bushehr. Air quality monitors in the affected areas have detected alarming spikes in carbon monoxide, soot, and other airborne toxins, raising serious concerns among environmental scientists and public health officials.

“This is not just a health emergency—it is an environmental disaster,” the Department of Environment (DOE) stated, warning of the far-reaching spread of pollutants through critical ecosystems. “These irresponsible actions have long-term impacts on air quality, water resources, and natural habitats.”

The DOE also revealed that some of its own infrastructure was directly targeted and that the conflict has severely disrupted emergency response operations and conservation efforts nationwide.

“These acts must be addressed decisively by the international community,” the agency urged. “While climate change and environmental degradation are already major global challenges, the deliberate destruction of the environment through military attacks cannot be tolerated.”

Calls for international accountability and action

Iran has urged the international community to explicitly condemn the recent strikes at global forums and to apply pressure to halt what it described as the “ongoing destruction of the region’s ecosystem.”

Citing Articles 35 and 55 of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, which define widespread, long-term, and severe damage to the natural environment as a war crime, Iranian officials warned that the environmental costs of modern warfare are too often overlooked.

“This is a powerful reminder that the consequences of armed conflict reach far beyond the battlefield,” the Department of Environment (DOE) stated. “The environment, too, is a casualty.”

The DOE called on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and other regional and global bodies to take urgent steps to prevent further ecological destruction and mitigate the risk of environmental catastrophe.

"Our duty is to defend the nation's right by documenting all those crimes and by pursuing [them all] in every possible way," the department added.

  • Iran
  • Tehran
  • Israel
  • Israeli occupation
  • Iran nuclear deal
  • war on Iran

Most Read

Shiekh Naim Qassem giving a speech commemorating the anniversay of martyr Mohammed Saeed Izadi, August 5, 2025, in Lebanon

Sheikh Qassem threatens 'Israel', warns against foreign intervention

  • Politics
  • 5 Aug 2025
UAE lodges complaint against Israeli ambassador over 'misbehavior'

UAE lodges complaint against Israeli ambassador over 'misbehavior'

  • Politics
  • 1 Aug 2025
Protesters chant anti-Israeli slogans as they carry a banner that reads:" Freedom for Palestine, Alliance stop the war," during a demonstration in support of Palestinians in Gaza, outside the Israeli embassy, in Athens, Monday, June 9, 2025 (AP)

Athens mayor slams Israeli ambassador over Gaza war, graffiti claim

  • Politics
  • 3 Aug 2025
Hezbollah says disarming Resistance is a blow to Lebanon’s sovereignty

Hezbollah to overlook cabinet decision; Amal urges corrective approach

  • Politics
  • 6 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, centre, leads a Cabinet meeting which is supposed to discuss the disarmament of Hezbollah, at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, August 7, 2025 (Lebanese Presidency press office)
Politics

Hezbollah, Amal ministers walk out of cabinet over US disarmament plot

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid, line up as they wait to enter Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Khaled Elfiqi)
Politics

Only 188 of 800 promised aid trucks entered Gaza: Euractiv

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India listens to Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer as they meet for bilateral talks at Chequers near Aylesbury, England, Thursday, July 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Trump doubles tariffs on India over Russian oil despite partnership

Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi during a speech in Sanaa, Yemen, August 7, 2025 (Al Mayadeen screengrab)\
Politics

Al-Houthi slams Gaza blockade, warns against disarmament, aggression

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS