Credit : Reuters' X
ANTALYA, Turkey, November 11, 2026 – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the COP31 climate conference on Wednesday that his country wants compensation for environmental damage caused by US and Israeli strikes, arguing that the issue is linked to global efforts to fight climate change, Reuters reported.
“We expect the global community to establish a genuine and meaningful link between climate commitments in times of peace and responsibility in times of war, to document and assess the environmental damages caused by military aggressions and to develop compensation mechanisms,” he said. His remarks were part of back-to-back speeches by heads of state on the third day of the two-week conference in Turkey.
Pezeshkian put figures on the damage, citing unnamed assessments. According to Shafaq News and TRT World, he said strikes on fuel facilities had released about 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide: roughly 500,000 tonnes from attacks on facilities in Asaluyeh, southern Iran, on March 18, and about one million tonnes from strikes on fuel storage tanks near Tehran on March 7. These are Iranian figures and were not independently verified in the reports reviewed.
He also reported damage to protected natural areas and environmental ranger stations, and said peace and environmental protection were inseparable, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported. He highlighted Iran’s renewable energy growth, saying installed capacity rose from 1,250 megawatts to more than 6,150 megawatts over two years.
Reuters noted that international climate agreements include billions of dollars in wealthy-country finance to help developing nations adapt to climate change and pay for its impacts, but contain no provision covering the environmental effects of military strikes.
The United States and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran in late February, Reuters said. The conflict has spread to Lebanon and the Gulf and has involved repeated strikes on energy infrastructure in Iran and across the wider region, as well as strikes on shipping. Reuters said Iran has repeatedly attacked oil tankers navigating the Strait of Hormuz, causing environmental damage including substantial oil leaks.
Reuters also reported that the war may have contributed to a reduction in overall global emissions. A report from a consortium of international scientists on Tuesday said global fossil fuel emissions are on track to fall slightly this year, partly because of high fuel prices and expanded use of renewable energy in the wake of the conflict.
Before the summit, Middle East Eye reported on November 11 that Pezeshkian had described COP31 as a good opportunity to raise what he called the damage done by the United States and Israel to the environment in Iran and the region. Washington and Israel have not been quoted in the reports reviewed responding to the compensation call.
Turkey is hosting COP31 in Antalya from November 9 to 20.
Source: Reuters, Shafaq News, TRT World, Mehr News Agency and Middle East Eye
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