Iran warns of expanded retaliation as Israel reportedly readies to attack

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the United States and Israel for causing significant environmental damage during the ongoing Middle East war, speaking at the UN Climate Change Conference in Turkey. He stated that the attacks by the US and Zionist regime resulted in the release of large amounts of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Pezeshkian specified that the strikes on fuel facilities at a major gas field in Iran's south emitted about 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, while a strike on fuel depots near Tehran led to the release of an additional one million tonnes of greenhouse gases. He called for the establishment of mechanisms to hold the US and Israel accountable for their actions.

While the exact details of the accusations could not be independently verified, there have been reports of oil spills off the coasts of Gulf countries, which Iran's foreign ministry has previously attributed to US military operations in the region. Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that Pezeshkian had already held discussions with leaders from participating countries during his visit to Antalya, Turkey.

The Middle East war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at various countries in the region, and the militant groups it supports in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq also joined the conflict.