President links U.S., Israel to environmental damage

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of inflicting severe environmental damage during attacks on the Islamic republic, in his speech on Wednesday at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Turkey.

“The recent criminal and illegal aggression against Iran by America and the Zionist regime... has inflicted severe damage on the environment, releasing massive quantities of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,” Pezeshkian said.

He said that attacks on fuel facilities on a major gas field in Iran’s south “resulted in the emission of approximately 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide.”

“The deliberate strike on fuel depots near Tehran led to the release of another one million tons,” he added, calling for mechanisms to hold the US and Israel accountable.

While the specifics of the accusations could not be independently verified, several oil spills have been detected off the coasts of Gulf countries.

Iran’s foreign ministry has previously blamed the pollution on US military operations in the region, though both countries have targeted tankers in the Strait of Hormuz as they seek to enforce parallel blockades.

Pezeshkian arrived in Antalya, Turkey on Wednesday.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA said he had already held discussions with several leaders from participating countries during the visit.