Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says environmental destruction linked to wars in the Middle East amounts to “ecocide.” Speaking at the Leaders’ Summit of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan, he urges the international community to create effective, enforceable mechanisms to protect biodiversity during armed conflicts.
Pezeshkian links the damage to what he calls “wars of aggression” and specifically cites the US-Israeli war as having harmed industrial and energy facilities, triggered fires, released pollutants, and contaminated soil and water. He also refers to conflicts across the region, including Gaza, saying pollution and ecological harm cross borders. He warns that such damage can endure for years or even generations after hostilities end, arguing that wars not only kill people and destroy economic infrastructure but also burn forests, damage wetlands, threaten water resources, and destroy wildlife habitats.
Outlets report the same core message while differing mainly in emphasis—some frame it broadly around the Middle East’s ecological impact, while others highlight the biological-diversity conference context and Pezeshkian’s call for international enforcement.
