Addressing an extraordinary summit of Caspian littoral states in Turkmenistan on Friday, Pezeshkian warned that falling water levels, climate change, pollution and damage to natural habitats threaten regional economies, ports, fisheries, food security and coastal communities. He stressed that no country can tackle the crisis alone, as the Caspian’s interconnected ecosystem requires joint scientific research, shared data and coordinated measures.

The president emphasized the role of the Tehran Convention, describing it as the region’s principal legally binding framework for protecting the Caspian marine environment. He urged the five coastal states to strengthen its implementation and move beyond monitoring the crisis toward “joint crisis management,” supported by scientific evidence and sustained political commitment.

Pezeshkian also warned against turning the Caspian into an arena for geopolitical rivalry or intervention by extra-regional powers, saying lasting peace and security depend on respect for the sovereignty and legitimate interests of all littoral states. He called for the condemnation of attacks on coastal facilities, ports, ships and other maritime infrastructure, citing the attack on Iran’s Anzali port during the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran and an armed Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel. Such incidents, he said, threaten regional security and can cause cross-border environmental damage.

Welcoming the decision to establish a high-level commission comprising deputy heads of government from the coastal states, Pezeshkian proposed a long-term regional program under the Tehran Convention to address the Caspian’s falling water levels. The plan, he said, should cover joint scientific monitoring, marine pollution control, biodiversity protection, stronger implementation mechanisms, adaptation of ports and coastal infrastructure, restoration of wetlands and habitats, support for local communities and fisheries, and the provision of funding and technology.

Pezeshkian urged the littoral states to choose scientific cooperation and collective action over passively accepting the decline in water levels. “Our choice is cooperation; our choice is science; our choice is protecting the Caspian,” he said, calling for the sea to become “a bridge between our nations” and emphasizing that preserving this shared natural heritage is a historic responsibility toward future generations.