Oct 11, Kathmandu - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that the environment can no longer be viewed merely as a silent casualty of war.

He said recent events in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have shown that military attacks cause not only human suffering and the destruction of critical infrastructure, but also deep and sometimes long-lasting environmental damage.

“The environmental catastrophe in Gaza is so severe that the United Nations Environment Programme has described it as unprecedented environmental damage,” Araghchi said.

In Lebanon, weapons use and fires sparked by attacks have destroyed forests and farmland, he said. Reports and documents submitted to the United Nations indicate that hundreds of thousands of square metres of land have been burned and thousands of olive trees damaged, he added.

Araghchi also said US-Israeli attacks on Iran’s oil reserves, refineries and energy infrastructure had created “serious environmental risks.”