An Iranian missile hit Haifa oil refineries in Haifa Bay, 19 March 2026.
Photo Credit: Hanay, Wikipedia Commons
April 5, 2026
Arab News
By Gabriele Malvisi
When Iraqi forces withdrew from Kuwait in 1991, they left more than 700 oil wells burning in their wake. The fires took eight months to extinguish, spewing smoke plumes that stretched some 800 miles and spilling 11 million barrels of crude into the Gulf.
It was one of the largest man-made environmental disasters on record. More than three decades on, the current US-Israeli war with Iran, which has seen oil infrastructure bombed across the region, has ignited fears of a comparable catastrophe.
“The 1991 Gulf War oil fires, while concentrated in Kuwait, were on a far greater scale than what we are seeing presently,” said Doug Weir, director of the Conflict and Environment Observatory, a UK-based nonprofit.
“However, such comparisons will seem academic to those communities living in proximity to the targeted sites and who may face acute and chronic exposure to pollutants as a result.”
Attacks on energy infrastructure have escalated dramatically since the conflict began, disrupting global supply chains. Strikes on Saudi, Kuwaiti and Qatari liquefied natural gas facilities, combined with a near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, have caused widespread outages.
Brent crude — which peaked at $119.50 on March 8 — climbed back to $116 on Monday, reflecting markets that remain deeply volatile.
Several energy companies have declared force majeure, prompting the Philippines to declare a national energy emergency and countries including Slovenia and Sri Lanka to introduce fuel rationing.
However, on April 2, the Philippines said Iran has granted its ships toll-free, safe, unhindered and expeditious passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub if an ongoing diplomatic process — mediated by Pakistan — fails to produce a deal. The threat came a day after he told London’s Financial Times that he was considering “taking the oil” in Iran.
Despite a declared pause in strikes on civilian infrastructure, Iran’s Ministry of Energy reported that attacks had cut power across Tehran and surrounding provinces. And on April 4, the US claimed responsibility for bombing Iran’s newly built B1 suspension bridge between Tehran and Karaj.
On Monday, fires broke out at an Israeli oil refinery in Haifa after a fuel tanker was struck by debris from an intercepted missile.
The economic consequences are already spreading far beyond the region. According to Oxford Economics, the conflict will upend energy markets for the rest of the year.
Higher prices and uncertainty will squeeze household spending, falling hardest on countries most dependent on Gulf oil and gas.
The fear is that, as a direct consequence of price hikes, the most vulnerable populations will be forced to consume less — and in some severe cases skip meals — underlining that the impact of disruption is not equally felt.
But the economic toll is only part of the story. Analysts warn that acute and long-term environmental risks resulting from the bombing remain largely underreported.
“It is pivotal to keep tracking and monitoring these strikes to make a proper risk assessment for nearby communities,” Wim Zwijnenburg, project leader on humanitarian disarmament at Dutch civil society organization PAX, told Arab News.
“In our current mapping, we are assessing over 2,500 damaged locations, some of them involved in missile production or other industrial processes that use large volumes of hazardous substances.
“Attacks on those locations can result in acute exposure to toxic materials, or long-term damage from pollutants getting into the soil and water sources.”
PAX has documented at least 18 attacks on commercial vessels over the course of four weeks of conflict, resulting in at least four oil spills, and the bombing of several naval vessels near Bandar Abbas on Iran’s Hormuz Strait, close to internationally recognized protected areas.
Many of Iran’s military bases are located within protected nature areas, Zwijnenburg noted, making them both ecologically sensitive and militarily vulnerable.
During the 12-day US-Israeli war with Iran in June last year, vast areas of vegetation in five protected sites caught fire following strikes on Iranian missile bases.
Oil pollution entering Gulf waters adds another dimension. Pollutants do not just damage the ecosystem; they enter the food chain through bioaccumulation and biomagnification, with cumulative health effects for the millions of people who rely on Gulf seafood.
The risk was thrown into sharp relief on Monday, when Iran reportedly struck a fully loaded Kuwaiti crude oil tanker in Dubai waters, sparking a fire. Authorities later confirmed the incident was contained with no spill or injuries.
“So far, the spills we are witnessing have been fairly small, and the oil dilutes or evaporates fairly quickly,” said Zwijnenburg, adding that dozens of spills and the dumping of wastewater from tankers and cargo vessels in the Arabian Gulf during peacetime pose “a larger problem” and contribute to “sustained pollution.
“But with these attacks, it only takes one large, fully laden crude oil tanker to be hit and create an ecological disaster, and those chances are rising each day.”
Earlier in March, researchers from Queen Mary University of London, Lancaster University and the Climate and Community Institute estimated that the first 14 days of the Iran war generated more than 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent — greater than Iceland’s total annual carbon output.
The largest sources were the destruction of infrastructure and the burning of oil.
Among the conflict’s most haunting images is the black rain that fell near Tehran in mid-March — an oily, acidic downpour formed when soot, ash and toxic chemicals from burning fuel depots merged with atmospheric moisture and fell back to earth.
Although the phenomenon has been documented in other conflict zones — most notably following the Kuwait oil fires of 1991 — its appearance over a capital city of 10 million people marks a grim episode.
Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian warned that soil and water supplies around the capital were already showing signs of contamination.
Authorities urged residents to stay indoors as the rain — likely laced with benzene, acetone, toluene and methylene chloride, all known carcinogens — coated streets and buildings across the city.
“In the short term, civilians face acute respiratory illness and worsening of pre-existing health issues due to heavy smoke and airborne pollutants,” said Mohammed Mahmoud, head of Middle East climate and water policy with the UN University Institute of Water, Environment and Health and founder of the Climate and Water Initiative.
“Over time, continued exposure to these contaminants can translate into higher risks of chronic respiratory disease, cardiovascular illness, and cancer that often emerge many years after initial exposure.”
These risks are “especially severe” for children and pregnant women, he said, with early-life toxic exposure carrying risks of long-term developmental impairment.
The region’s desalination plants, which provide the vast majority of drinking water in Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia, represent a further vulnerability. Iran said a US airstrike damaged one of its plants. Bahrain accused Iran of damaging one of its own.
Massive oil spills in the Gulf could force desalination plants, which convert seawater into freshwater, to suspend work to avoid contamination or damage to machinery.
“Damage to desalination infrastructure is an immediate and critical threat,” said Mahmoud, who warned that in a region “heavily dependent” on desalinated water, any disruption can lead to limited access to safe drinking water, affecting all local populations.
While international humanitarian law prohibits methods of warfare expected to cause “widespread, long-term and severe damage” to the natural environment, enforcement is poor.
Iran’s foreign minister has accused Israel of committing ecocide, but as Weir noted, “at present, there is no international crime of ecocide, and none of the conflict parties have it on their domestic statute books. Accountability remains a political rather than a legal question.”
After the war ends, environmental damage — and its human toll — risks becoming a low priority.
“Too little attention is being focused on what needs to come next in terms of environmental assessment, assistance and remediation,” said Weir.
“We have seen little to suggest that Iran will have the resources, support or governance structures necessary to support an effective environmental response.”
April 5, 2026
Arab News
By Gabriele Malvisi
When Iraqi forces withdrew from Kuwait in 1991, they left more than 700 oil wells burning in their wake. The fires took eight months to extinguish, spewing smoke plumes that stretched some 800 miles and spilling 11 million barrels of crude into the Gulf.
It was one of the largest man-made environmental disasters on record. More than three decades on, the current US-Israeli war with Iran, which has seen oil infrastructure bombed across the region, has ignited fears of a comparable catastrophe.
“The 1991 Gulf War oil fires, while concentrated in Kuwait, were on a far greater scale than what we are seeing presently,” said Doug Weir, director of the Conflict and Environment Observatory, a UK-based nonprofit.
“However, such comparisons will seem academic to those communities living in proximity to the targeted sites and who may face acute and chronic exposure to pollutants as a result.”
Attacks on energy infrastructure have escalated dramatically since the conflict began, disrupting global supply chains. Strikes on Saudi, Kuwaiti and Qatari liquefied natural gas facilities, combined with a near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, have caused widespread outages.
Brent crude — which peaked at $119.50 on March 8 — climbed back to $116 on Monday, reflecting markets that remain deeply volatile.
Several energy companies have declared force majeure, prompting the Philippines to declare a national energy emergency and countries including Slovenia and Sri Lanka to introduce fuel rationing.
However, on April 2, the Philippines said Iran has granted its ships toll-free, safe, unhindered and expeditious passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub if an ongoing diplomatic process — mediated by Pakistan — fails to produce a deal. The threat came a day after he told London’s Financial Times that he was considering “taking the oil” in Iran.
Despite a declared pause in strikes on civilian infrastructure, Iran’s Ministry of Energy reported that attacks had cut power across Tehran and surrounding provinces. And on April 4, the US claimed responsibility for bombing Iran’s newly built B1 suspension bridge between Tehran and Karaj.
On Monday, fires broke out at an Israeli oil refinery in Haifa after a fuel tanker was struck by debris from an intercepted missile.
The economic consequences are already spreading far beyond the region. According to Oxford Economics, the conflict will upend energy markets for the rest of the year.
Higher prices and uncertainty will squeeze household spending, falling hardest on countries most dependent on Gulf oil and gas.
The fear is that, as a direct consequence of price hikes, the most vulnerable populations will be forced to consume less — and in some severe cases skip meals — underlining that the impact of disruption is not equally felt.
But the economic toll is only part of the story. Analysts warn that acute and long-term environmental risks resulting from the bombing remain largely underreported.
“It is pivotal to keep tracking and monitoring these strikes to make a proper risk assessment for nearby communities,” Wim Zwijnenburg, project leader on humanitarian disarmament at Dutch civil society organization PAX, told Arab News.
“In our current mapping, we are assessing over 2,500 damaged locations, some of them involved in missile production or other industrial processes that use large volumes of hazardous substances.
“Attacks on those locations can result in acute exposure to toxic materials, or long-term damage from pollutants getting into the soil and water sources.”
PAX has documented at least 18 attacks on commercial vessels over the course of four weeks of conflict, resulting in at least four oil spills, and the bombing of several naval vessels near Bandar Abbas on Iran’s Hormuz Strait, close to internationally recognized protected areas.
Many of Iran’s military bases are located within protected nature areas, Zwijnenburg noted, making them both ecologically sensitive and militarily vulnerable.
During the 12-day US-Israeli war with Iran in June last year, vast areas of vegetation in five protected sites caught fire following strikes on Iranian missile bases.
Oil pollution entering Gulf waters adds another dimension. Pollutants do not just damage the ecosystem; they enter the food chain through bioaccumulation and biomagnification, with cumulative health effects for the millions of people who rely on Gulf seafood.
The risk was thrown into sharp relief on Monday, when Iran reportedly struck a fully loaded Kuwaiti crude oil tanker in Dubai waters, sparking a fire. Authorities later confirmed the incident was contained with no spill or injuries.
“So far, the spills we are witnessing have been fairly small, and the oil dilutes or evaporates fairly quickly,” said Zwijnenburg, adding that dozens of spills and the dumping of wastewater from tankers and cargo vessels in the Arabian Gulf during peacetime pose “a larger problem” and contribute to “sustained pollution.
“But with these attacks, it only takes one large, fully laden crude oil tanker to be hit and create an ecological disaster, and those chances are rising each day.”
Earlier in March, researchers from Queen Mary University of London, Lancaster University and the Climate and Community Institute estimated that the first 14 days of the Iran war generated more than 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent — greater than Iceland’s total annual carbon output.
The largest sources were the destruction of infrastructure and the burning of oil.
Among the conflict’s most haunting images is the black rain that fell near Tehran in mid-March — an oily, acidic downpour formed when soot, ash and toxic chemicals from burning fuel depots merged with atmospheric moisture and fell back to earth.
Although the phenomenon has been documented in other conflict zones — most notably following the Kuwait oil fires of 1991 — its appearance over a capital city of 10 million people marks a grim episode.
Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian warned that soil and water supplies around the capital were already showing signs of contamination.
Authorities urged residents to stay indoors as the rain — likely laced with benzene, acetone, toluene and methylene chloride, all known carcinogens — coated streets and buildings across the city.
“In the short term, civilians face acute respiratory illness and worsening of pre-existing health issues due to heavy smoke and airborne pollutants,” said Mohammed Mahmoud, head of Middle East climate and water policy with the UN University Institute of Water, Environment and Health and founder of the Climate and Water Initiative.
“Over time, continued exposure to these contaminants can translate into higher risks of chronic respiratory disease, cardiovascular illness, and cancer that often emerge many years after initial exposure.”
These risks are “especially severe” for children and pregnant women, he said, with early-life toxic exposure carrying risks of long-term developmental impairment.
The region’s desalination plants, which provide the vast majority of drinking water in Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia, represent a further vulnerability. Iran said a US airstrike damaged one of its plants. Bahrain accused Iran of damaging one of its own.
Massive oil spills in the Gulf could force desalination plants, which convert seawater into freshwater, to suspend work to avoid contamination or damage to machinery.
“Damage to desalination infrastructure is an immediate and critical threat,” said Mahmoud, who warned that in a region “heavily dependent” on desalinated water, any disruption can lead to limited access to safe drinking water, affecting all local populations.
While international humanitarian law prohibits methods of warfare expected to cause “widespread, long-term and severe damage” to the natural environment, enforcement is poor.
Iran’s foreign minister has accused Israel of committing ecocide, but as Weir noted, “at present, there is no international crime of ecocide, and none of the conflict parties have it on their domestic statute books. Accountability remains a political rather than a legal question.”
After the war ends, environmental damage — and its human toll — risks becoming a low priority.
“Too little attention is being focused on what needs to come next in terms of environmental assessment, assistance and remediation,” said Weir.
“We have seen little to suggest that Iran will have the resources, support or governance structures necessary to support an effective environmental response.”
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