War does not end when the guns fall silent. Its consequences continue for years, affecting the economy, the environment, natural resources, and people's lives. The experience of the 12-Day War and the 40-day conflict known as the "Ramadan War" showed that the true costs of war extend far beyond the destruction of buildings and infrastructure. Millions of tons of debris, renewed consumption of limited water resources, increased greenhouse gas emissions, the destruction of national assets, and the enormous costs of reconstruction are only part of the damage that continues long after the fighting ends.

According to published figures, about 2,000 residential and commercial units require demolition, debris removal, and complete reconstruction. Initial estimates place the volume of war debris at between 2.4 and 3.3 million tons. However, when thousands of damaged buildings are taken into account, that figure rises to between 4 and 6 million tons. Final estimates indicate that total debris nationwide could reach as much as 54 million tons, making its management, transport, recycling, and disposal one of the largest environmental and economic challenges of the post-war period.

The scale of the crisis is also significant in Tehran, where waste generated by 38 days of war is estimated to equal an entire year's worth of construction waste. Because this debris contains metal remnants, chemical substances, explosion-related contamination, and other hazardous materials, it is classified as special waste. If improperly managed, it could threaten public health and the environment for years.

Yet rubble is only part of the damage. Rebuilding affected areas requires producing millions of cubic meters of concrete, steel, and cement, a process that carries major environmental costs. According to published data, producing each cubic meter of conventional concrete in Iran releases between 260 and 320 kilograms of carbon dioxide, while producing one ton of cement emits between 650 and 920 kilograms of greenhouse gases. The cement industry alone accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Alongside the carbon footprint, the water crisis is one of the most significant hidden costs of reconstruction. Producing one cubic meter of concrete requires between 150 and 350 liters of water. An average 150-square-meter home requires about 25 cubic meters of concrete, while a five-story building consumes several times that amount. International studies also show that construction consumes between 27 and 54 cubic meters of water per square meter of built area. These figures come as Iran faces severe water stress, declining groundwater reserves, and widespread drought, meaning every reconstruction project places additional pressure on the country's limited water resources.

In other words, war not only destroys what has been built over decades, but also forces the country to consume water, energy, mineral materials, and natural resources all over again simply to rebuild the same infrastructure. Every destroyed home means thousands of liters of water wasted, additional energy consumption, renewed extraction of construction materials, and the release of several more tons of carbon dioxide during reconstruction.

These losses are not limited to the environment. The destruction of homes, commercial centers, urban infrastructure, public service facilities, and productive assets wipes out billions of tomans in national wealth and sets back the country's economic development for years. Reconstruction, therefore, is not merely about rebuilding structures, it is about restoring national resources, assets, and the country's economic and social capacity.

Within this framework, one of the country's foremost national demands should be the legal pursuit of war reparations. The costs of war extend beyond destroyed buildings. Compensation calculations must also include the costs of managing millions of tons of debris, environmental pollution, large-scale water consumption, increased carbon emissions, damage to infrastructure, destruction of national assets, losses to economic activity, and the long-term environmental consequences.

According to the official position of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the US and its allies initiated the imposed war against Iran. Therefore, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran should comprehensively document all damages resulting from the 12-Day War and the 40-day conflict known as the "Ramadan War," compile a complete record of the human, economic, infrastructural, environmental, and natural resource losses, and use every available legal, diplomatic, and international mechanism to pursue and obtain war reparations from the US and its allies. Such claims should cover not only the cost of rebuilding residential, commercial, and infrastructure facilities, but also damages resulting from the destruction of water resources, the forced emission of millions of tons of carbon dioxide, the costs of managing war debris, environmental degradation, the decline in citizens' quality of life, and the loss of national assets.

Today, more than ever, it is clear that the end of war is not the end of its costs. Millions of tons of rubble, billions of liters of water consumed, increased carbon emissions, and the destruction of national assets are burdens whose consequences future generations will also bear. Therefore, smart reconstruction, protection of natural resources, the use of modern construction technologies, and the determined pursuit of war reparations from the US and its allies must be placed on the national legal and strategic agenda. The damage caused by war cannot be remedied simply by rebuilding structures; it requires securing the rights of the Iranian nation and recovering part of the losses imposed on the country.