The UN Resident Coordinator in Iran, Christine Weigand, said environmental protection must be part of emergency response and long-term recovery plans, according to Tehran Times.
Ms Weigand spoke in Tehran on Sunday at a conference on the environmental consequences of war and human rights, Tehran Times reported. The newspaper paraphrased her remarks and no verbatim quotes from the speech were available.
According to Tehran Times, she said the environment and ecosystems were among the victims of war and that the damage could last for generations.
The newspaper said she described conflict and environmental degradation as reinforcing each other. She said this undermined livelihoods and food security and made reconstruction harder.
Tehran Times reported that she said contaminated water, damaged farmland and degraded ecosystems made it harder for communities to rebuild. It said she cited Gaza and Ukraine as examples.
The newspaper also said she addressed attacks on oil facilities and water infrastructure in Iran. Reports available did not say whether Ms Weigand named any party responsible for the attacks.
Tehran Times said she referred to the UN's 2001 designation of 6 November as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.
No response to her remarks had been reported from Israel, the US or other governments.
The German news agency dpa reported that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke on Sunday at a Tehran conference titled "Ecocide", according to Yahoo News. It was not confirmed whether this was the same event.
Citing a Foreign Ministry transcript, dpa quoted Mr Araghchi as saying: "The international community must not remain indifferent to the environmental consequences of wars." He referred to "Israeli-US attacks", according to dpa.
Mr Araghchi said the destruction of water and soil resources, air pollution and damage to vegetation and ecosystems were consequences that could last for years and even decades after hostilities end, according to dpa.
Ms Weigand is an Austrian national who arrived in Tehran two weeks before the war began, she said in an interview with UN News.
The UN Environment Programme said earlier in the war that damage to oil and energy facilities and to vessels in the Strait of Hormuz had caused fuel spills and smoke. It said munitions may release heavy metals and toxic chemicals, and that testing was not yet possible, in a statement.
Shina Ansari, head of Iran's Department of Environment, said in July that Iran's main focus at the COP31 climate conference would be the environmental impact of war, Tehran Times reported.
