The Environmental Costs of War: How the US–Israel–Iran Conflict Is Reshaping Climate Security in the Gulf

May 4, 2026 | Kristian P. Alexander
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The recent US–Israel war with Iran, followed by Iranian missile, drone, and rocket retaliation across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, has largely been examined through military and geopolitical lenses: deterrence, escalation control, air defence, oil markets, and regional power balances. However, one of the most consequential dimensions of the conflict has received far less sustained attention, the environmental and climate-security impact of war.