Sanctions Hindered Efforts To Tackle Environmental Issues

Speaking at the BRICS summit on environment and global health in Brazil, Araghchi said that politically motivated sanctions, especially those targeting the Islamic Republic, have created serious obstacles for countries trying to address the devastating effects of climate change.

He called such measures “unjust” and in contradiction with global goals to combat environmental degradation and achieve sustainable development.

He emphasized that climate change is no longer a distant threat but a current and escalating reality. “Rising temperatures, dwindling water resources, massive wildfires, ecosystem destruction, and climate-induced displacement have become part of daily life for millions,” he added.

Iran, located in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions, has launched domestic programs focused on water management, renewable energy development, and ecosystem restoration, Araghchi said.

However, he stressed that lasting solutions require “climate justice,” including historical accountability by industrialized nations and their support in financing and transferring clean technologies to the developing world.

He also criticized the failure of wealthy countries to uphold their climate commitments, holding them historically responsible for much of the world’s environmental damage.

In another part of his speech, Araghchi condemned recent Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling them reckless acts that threaten not only international law but also human and ecological safety.

He warned that these assaults, by nuclear-armed states against a non-nuclear state that has been under full surveillance of the International Atomic Energy Agency, could cause irreversible environmental harm.

Israel launched a war of aggression against Iran on June 13, when it assassinated several high-ranking military commanders and nuclear scientists with the declared aim of overthrowing the Islamic Republic’s government. During the course of the unprovoked war, the Israeli regime and the United States attacked Iran’s civilian nuclear facilities.

In response, Iran carried out almost two dozen phases of Operation True Promise III against Israel. The war came to a halt on June 24, after Israel unilaterally agreed to a ceasefire.