At ECO meeting, Iran’s top environment official condemns US-Israeli attacks on protected areas

Iran’s vice president and head of the Department of Environment has strongly condemned US-Israeli attacks on protected environmental and civilian sites in the country in their latest aggression against the country, during an Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) gathering.

During a meeting of the ECO Ministers of Environment in Tehran on Wednesday, Shina Ansari said that US-Israeli strikes on Iranian territory have caused “irreparable damage” to protected areas and sensitive ecosystems.

The aggression targeted civilian infrastructure as well as environmentally sensitive regions, including areas around the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, she noted.

Ansari stated that “two lawless regimes, the US and the Israeli regime,” carried out an unprovoked and illegal assault, adding that the strikes resulted in harm to non-military sites, including protected environmental zones, while noting that the consequences extend beyond national borders and threaten regional ecological stability.

“These brutal crimes, particularly the bloodshed caused by the attack on a school in Minab and a girls’ sports club in Lamerd, must be condemned by all advocates of freedom,” she added.

“Continued inaction by international institutions will only erode the remaining trust in ineffective global mechanisms,” she warned.

She further thanked ECO member states for their positions on the aggression, saying Iran appreciates “the principled stances of the majority of member countries” in response to the attacks.

Ansari further highlighted the need for strengthening regional multilateralism, saying it would help reduce the influence of external actors in the region and support stability

The US-Israeli aggression against Iran began on February 28 with airstrikes targeting senior Iranian officials and commanders.

The aggression killed over 3,300 Iranians and caused damage to the country's civilian and economic infrastructure.

Iran raises alarm at ‘environmental consequences’ of US militarism

The Iranian vice president and head of Department of Environment voices concerns about the “environmental consequences” of US military measures in the country’s resource-rich southern waters.

Beyond the political statements, Ansari devoted part of her address to shared environmental challenges facing ECO countries.

She said member states are linked not only by historical and economic ties but also by environmental risks that directly affect public health, security, and sustainable development.

She said the ECO region is among the most vulnerable in the world to climate change, pointing to rising temperatures, repeated droughts, declining water resources, land degradation, and increasing biodiversity loss.

“No country can confront complex environmental challenges alone,” she said, adding that regional cooperation is “an unavoidable necessity” for ensuring a sustainable future.

She expressed Iran’s readiness to expand scientific, technical, and operational cooperation within the ECO framework and to play an active role in joint regional initiatives.

The official concluded by expressing hope that the outcomes of the meeting would lead to practical cooperation and tangible progress for environmental protection and sustainable development across the region.

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