SAEDNEWS: Iran’s UN ambassador condemned recent Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iranian oil and gas facilities as violations of international law and environmental norms.
According to SAEDNEWS, On 27 March 2026, Saeed Iravani transmitted a letter from Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President of the UN Security Council Michael G. Waltz, addressing the catastrophic environmental, public health, food security, and cultural heritage impacts resulting from attacks by the Israeli regime and the United States on Iran’s oil reservoirs.
Letter from the Permanent Mission of Iran:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Excellency,
Further to our letters dated 9 and 18 March 2026 regarding the catastrophic environmental, public health, food security, and cultural heritage impacts of attacks by the Israeli regime and the United States on the oil reservoirs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I have the honor to transmit herewith, as an attachment, a letter dated 24 March 2026 from H.E. Mr. Mohsen Paknejad, Minister of Petroleum of the Islamic Republic of Iran, addressed to the Secretary-General, concerning these grave developments.
As elaborated in the attached communication, the Israeli regime and the United States, continuing their hostile policies and military aggression, carried out attacks on 7 and 18 March 2026 against Iran’s critical oil depots, storage facilities, and gas refineries. These attacks represent a serious escalation, directly threatening Iran’s energy security and economic stability, with extensive consequences for civilian infrastructure and essential services. They have caused destruction to Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure, disrupted the energy network, and produced severe human and environmental consequences.
The deliberate targeting of fuel reservoirs constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law and multilateral environmental obligations and meets the criteria of an environmental crime, including ecocide. Such acts engage the international responsibility of the Israeli regime and the United States and require full accountability in relevant international fora, including the obligation to provide complete reparation for all material and moral damages inflicted.
In this context, I respectfully urge the Secretary-General to condemn these unlawful actions in the strongest terms and to call upon the international community to take immediate and effective measures to ensure accountability and prevent the recurrence of such grave violations.
I should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its attachment circulated as an official document of the Security Council.
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Attachment – Letter from H.E. Mohsen Paknejad, Minister of Petroleum:
In the Name of God
H.E. Mr. António Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations
Dear Sir,
The Zionist regime and the United States, continuing their hostile policies and military aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its vital civilian infrastructure, carried out attacks on 7 March 2026 and 18 March 2026. These attacks, which exceed the scope of limited military operations and constitute the beginning of a full-scale assault on Iran’s energy security and economy, targeted oil depots and storage facilities in Tehran and gas refineries in the South Pars region of the northern Persian Gulf.
These attacks were conducted using the airspace and territory of certain neighboring countries, highlighting the complex regional security implications and the responsibility of those states for incursions originating from their land or airspace.
The consequences of these attacks extend beyond physical damage to infrastructure and include:
Environmental Catastrophe: Massive fires caused by missile strikes released large volumes of greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants, threatening the health of local populations and the fragile Persian Gulf ecosystem.
Energy Crisis and Disruption of Daily Life: Interruptions in natural gas and energy supply chains affected millions of civilians and disrupted operations of thousands of industrial and production units.
Your Excellency,
The Islamic Republic of Iran has never initiated aggression nor seeks to escalate regional tensions. However, the complicity or inaction of certain regional states regarding the use of their airspace, combined with the silence of international bodies in condemning these crimes, has emboldened the aggressors to continue their criminal activities on a larger scale, believing themselves immune from legal or international accountability.
The United Nations, as the principal international body responsible for maintaining peace and security, has a decisive role in addressing this situation. A firm and explicit condemnation of these acts, immediate measures to halt further attacks, full compensation for incurred damages, and deterrence against future violations are urgently needed. Your impartial intervention will not only contribute to restoring peace and security in the region but also strengthen trust in the UN’s role in safeguarding shared human values.
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Mohsen Paknejad
Minister of Petroleum
Islamic Republic of Iran
