In a report, Iran’s Department of Environment has exposed the dark and devastating dimensions of the “Ramadan War.” According to this report, the brutal attacks by the Zionist and American regimes on industrial, oil, and protected facilities in ten provinces have not only destroyed infrastructure but have also set in motion a silent catastrophe—by releasing nearly one million tons of carbon dioxide, igniting over 360,000 cubic meters of petroleum products in Tehran and Alborz, and damaging 13 areas under the environment department’s management.
Environmental activists are also warning that noise pollution from the explosions has led to massive bird casualties, acid rain has destroyed vegetation, and irreversible soil erosion has severed the chain of life in many of Iran’s natural regions.
Damage in Ten Provinces and 13 Managed Areas
In a shocking report, the Department of Environment has detailed the environmental damages of the “Ramadan War” across four main areas, releasing portions of it to inform public opinion and shed light on the dark dimensions of this brutal war for the people of Iran and the global public. According to the report, the invasion by the Zionist and American regimes on key production, industrial, and service units in ten provinces—East Azerbaijan, Alborz, Bushehr, Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, Khuzestan, Markazi, Yazd, Gilan, and Fars—has resulted in environmental consequences ranging from “low” to “medium” to “high” severity.
Furthermore, in the area of lands managed by the Department, it was determined that seven provinces—Hormozgan, Markazi, Sistan and Baluchestan, Fars, Kurdistan, Alborz, and Tehran—were targeted, and a total of 13 managed areas in these provinces have suffered damage ranging from low to very high severity.
Release of Nearly One Million Tons of Carbon Dioxide
One of the most catastrophic sections of the report concerns the massive fire in oil and fuel storage tanks in the capital. According to the Department of Environment, the total volume of petroleum products that caught fire at three oil tank facilities in Tehran—Shahran, Shahr-e Rey, and Kuhak—exceeded 360,000 cubic meters, as a result of which the estimated equivalent volume of carbon dioxide released is nearly one million tons.
Expert analyses indicate that in this brutal attack, nearly 4,000 tons of aromatic compounds or volatile organic compounds were released, seriously threatening environmental health and human life.
In addition, the Zionist regime’s attacks on fuel storage tanks in Fardis, Alborz, released over 53,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and led to the emission of approximately 220 tons of aromatic compounds.
From Irreversible Soil Destruction to Acid Rain
Majid Fazeli, an environmental activist, described the horrifying dimensions of the war’s destruction in an interview with Mehr News Agency, warning of a silent catastrophe unfolding across natural and urban landscapes.
He emphasized: Soil destruction is the primary and most immediate consequence of the explosions. When soil is destroyed by bomb and missile impacts, erosion reaches a point where the living organisms within it are effectively annihilated, breaking the chain of life. This manifests in mountainous areas as severe erosion and landslides, and in forests as the complete destruction of trees.
Referring to chemical changes in the atmosphere, Fazeli added: We are now facing acid rain caused by the combustion of explosives, which is inflicting serious damage on vegetation. If these pressures are repeated in areas with high biodiversity, we will certainly witness the extinction of certain plant and animal species, which will be irreversible.
Noise Pollution: Silent Killer of Birds and Wildlife in Ramadan War
Expressing deep concern over the plight of captive animals and free-roaming wildlife, the environmental activist said: The greatest cause of animal death, especially among birds, in wartime is noise pollution from explosions. Just as loud music in a forest can disrupt bird habitats, the deafening sounds of explosions cause strokes and mass die-offs of animal species.
He added: Unfortunately, in wartime conditions, due to the vastness of the affected areas, there is practically no way to safely relocate these animals, making them the most defenseless victims of this conflict.
Fazeli concluded: The destructive effects of war on mountains, seas, and forests transcend geographical boundaries and have disrupted climatic balance. Compensating for this damage will require not months, but decades.
Environment and Natural Areas: Silent Victims of War-Mongering
Hamid Zohrabi, Deputy for Natural Environment and Biodiversity at the Department of Environment, stated: The environment and natural areas are among the victims of the Zionist regime’s war-mongering against Iran.
He said: The environment and natural areas have been victims of the Zionist regime’s aggression against Iran. During these conflicts, in addition to damage to some environmental infrastructure and facilities, severe air pollution in the capital followed the attacks on fuel storage centers.
The Deputy for Natural Environment and Biodiversity further noted that during the 12-day war, approximately 8,500 hectares of protected areas across the country, including forest and rangeland, were burned—the bulk of this damage occurring in the Zagros vegetation zone.
Emphasizing the continuation of the Department of Environment’s protective missions, Zohrabi said: Despite the damage inflicted, the organization’s mandate to safeguard biodiversity and protect natural areas continues with full force.
What emerges from the Department of Environment’s report and the warnings of activists in this field is a horrifying picture of a catastrophe measurable not in hours or days, but in decades and generations. The “Ramadan War,” though it may appear at first glance as a military attack on facilities and infrastructure, has hidden dimensions far deeper and more lasting than the destruction of buildings and industrial equipment.
The release of nearly one million tons of carbon dioxide and thousands of tons of toxic aromatic compounds into the skies of Tehran, Alborz, and other provinces has not only severely degraded current air quality but will remain for years as a carcinogenic agent and a disruptor of respiratory and reproductive systems in living beings.
Soil destruction from explosions—described by experts as the “first and primary victim”—is an irreversible process. Severe erosion in mountainous areas, the complete destruction of trees in forests, and the annihilation of soil-dwelling organisms mean the severing of the chain of life and the transformation of fertile lands into lifeless expanses.
By releasing this report, the Department of Environment, while informing public opinion, calls on the international community and legal and environmental bodies worldwide to condemn these brutal acts and to oversee compensation for the damage inflicted upon Iran’s natural heritage—part of humanity’s shared inheritance.
What remains today are deep wounds in nature; wounds whose healing requires global resolve, vast resources, and decades of sustained effort.
If no immediate and serious action is taken today to protect Iran’s soil, air, water, and wildlife, future generations will face not merely an environmental crisis, but a full-blown human and climatic catastrophe.
NOURNEWS