TEHRAN – A comprehensive report is being prepared on the environmental damage caused by US attacks on Kharg Island, southern Bushehr Province, with the aim of pursuing the matter through legal and international channels, including the United Nations.
Abdolrahman Moradzadeh, director general of Bushehr Province’s Department of Environment, said protecting the island’s natural habitats and wildlife species was part of the responsibility to safeguard the country’s national assets.
He added that documenting the damage could play an effective role in pursuing the issue through legal and international mechanisms.
At least 25 deer have been confirmed dead on Kharg Island following attacks during US-Israeli aggression against Iran, with environmental officials warning the actual toll is likely significantly higher.
The deaths represent one of the most visible impacts of the war on Iran’s wildlife, highlighting the often-overlooked environmental consequences of armed conflicts beyond human casualties.
“The latest reports indicate that at least 25 deer have died on Kharg Island,” Press TV quoted Masoumeh Safaei, deputy director of Iran’s Office for Wildlife Protection and Management, as saying.
“This figure only covers areas outside military zones, and the real number of casualties is higher than what has been recorded so far,” Safaei added.
Environmental experts warn that the effects of warfare on wildlife extend far beyond direct fatalities.
Explosions, habitat destruction, and prolonged exposure to intense noise can leave lasting physical and psychological scars on animal populations.
According to Safaei, severe stress caused by nearby blasts also affected animals held in captivity.
Shina Ansari, the head of the Department of Environment (DOE), has highlighted that remaining silent in the face of environmental destruction caused by warmongers is the same as accepting a threat that will, sooner or later, impact everyone.
“The environment is the first silent victim of war and the last to recover from its consequences. Nature does not recognize the end of armed conflict. Environmental destruction may continue to undermine human health, food security, water resources, and biodiversity for decades after the guns fall silent,” the official noted.
She made the remarks while addressing the ninth session of the Committee on Environment and Development (CED9) held from July 1-3 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Elaborating on transboundary environmental challenges such as climate change, air and marine pollution, biodiversity loss, land degradation, dust and sand storms, and waste management challenges, Ansari underlined that environmental destruction resulting from war and military aggression is the most severe and inhumane damage to the environment, as the impacts of these brutal attacks trigger a profound threat to the entire planet.
“When war targets the environment, the victim is not merely one nation—it is the shared heritage of humanity. Therefore, protecting the environment must become a common global responsibility; the aggressors must be held accountable for their crimes and provide full compensation for the environmental damage they have caused. Effective implementation of this principle not only serves justice for the affected State but also plays an essential role in preventing the recurrence of such devastation.”
Referring to some of the gravest war crimes and environmental catastrophes caused by the warmongering of major powers in the region in the past decades, she said that over the past year, the US-Israel coalition has imposed two illegal wars against Iran.
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