VP warns UN of ecological fallout from US military activity in Persian Gulf
Iran’s Vice President and head of the Department of Environment (DoE) Shina Ansari, wrote to Antonio Guterres warning that escalating US military activity in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman risks causing severe and lasting environmental damage.
In the letter, Ansari cited the growing militarization of the strategically sensitive Persian Gulf basin and cautioned that any military action in a region dense with oil, gas, petrochemical and maritime infrastructure could trigger widespread marine pollution, destroy coastal habitats and damage biodiversity, IRNA reported.
She said the environmental consequences of armed activity in such a fragile ecosystem would not be confined to a single territory or timeframe, recalling previous regional conflicts in which strikes on oil and industrial facilities led to extensive oil spills, toxic emissions, coral reef degradation and long-term health risks for coastal communities.
Ansari grounded her warning in international environmental law, referring to Principle 21 of the 1972 Stockholm Declaration and Principle 2 of the 1992 Rio Declaration, which hold states responsible for ensuring activities under their jurisdiction do not cause transboundary environmental harm.
She also cited Article 55 of the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, which mandates protection of the natural environment against widespread, long-term and severe damage during armed conflict, and the 1976 ENMOD Convention prohibiting hostile environmental modification with severe or lasting effects.
Calling the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman a “sensitive and fragile ecosystem”, she urged the UN Secretary-General to use his authority under Articles 99 and 34 of the UN Charter to prioritize environmental risks arising from heightened military activity in the region.
Ansari also requested that relevant UN specialized agencies conduct an assessment of potential environmental threats and advance preventive mechanisms, stressing the need for full compliance with international environmental obligations to avert irreversible ecological harm affecting future generations.