Iran president says conflict in Mideast amounts to ‘ecocide’

YEREVAN

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivers a speech during the leaders' summit of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Oct. 16, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Oct. 16 urged countries to condemn what he called “ecocide” in the Middle East caused by “wars of aggression.”

Pezeshkian said the conflicts in Gaza and the wider Middle East had inflicted a significant toll on nature that extended beyond borders and required “international solutions.”

“What has occurred in our region as a result of wars of aggression is ecocide, or environmental genocide, and it must be condemned,” Pezeshkian told a nature summit in Armenia attended by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

His remarks came as Iran braced for a possible resumption of hostilities with the United States amid rising tensions in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia on Oct. 15 accused Iran of encouraging Yemen’s Houthis in the dramatic escalation of their fight with the kingdom, adding that the Islamic Republic continued to arm and train the group.

In a virtual briefing with reporters, Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister for public diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry said Riyadh was still in touch with Iran, but that Tehran did not appear ready to make concessions.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top crude oil exporter, has come under sustained attack by the Houthis in recent days, shifting the focus of the Middle East war that erupted with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

It has launched retaliatory strikes on Houthi strongholds in Yemen, one of the world’s poorest countries, but the Iran-backed militants remain undeterred.

“Iran continues to arm, train and support the Houthi militia in violation of UN security council resolutions,” said Dr. Rayed Krimly, the deputy minister.

“We think that the escalation by the Houthis at this latest stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran,” he added.

The official said the kingdom continued “to have direct communications with Iran”, but added: “Overall, it doesn’t seem yet that the Iranians are able to provide the necessary concessions for a solution.”