The UAE has warned of “potentially catastrophic” threats to the Gulf’s marine environment, and called on governments to condemn Iran’s attacks on international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Emirates warned that missiles, drones and fires “may give rise to large-scale marine pollution involving oil, hazardous noxious substances, contaminated firefighting water, soot deposition” and other threats to the ecosystem.
The Iranian attacks also cause “acoustic and physical disruption” to marine life, the UAE said. The region relies on desalinated seawater, and any contamination could also lead to “severe water security implications”, it added.
The proposal to condemn Iran’s attacks will be debated at the UN’s annual meeting to address the effects of shipping on the marine environment, at the International Maritime Organisation in London on Wednesday.
Last month, the IMO council agreed to condemn Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively halted international shipping through the waterway. However, Tehran has continued to attack commercial vessels.
Three ships were attacked by Iran last week, with two seized, despite a ceasefire with the US having been in place since April 8. Tehran has also planted sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which the Pentagon has warned could take at least six months to clear.
In a bid to counter the UAE's proposed resolution, Iran on Wednesday accused the US and Israel of putting the marine environment in the Gulf at risk. It accused its neighbours of enabling these actions.
Tehran said its search and rescue boats and marine ambulances had been attacked in the Gulf, and that fires were affecting traditional fishing boats off its coast.
The UAE and other Gulf states have previously said they would not allow their territory and airspace to be used as bases for attacks on Iran.
Iran’s attempts to impose a toll on ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran claims would guarantee safe passage, have been repeatedly described as unlawful by IMO chief Arsenio Dominguez.
