Deputy Head of Iran Department of Environment for Marine Environment Abdolreza Karbasi said on Sunday that Iran would lodge a complaint if British oil and gas giant, BP, continues polluting the Caspian Sea.
BP simply dumps waste oil into the Caspian Sea waters instead of injecting it into the depth of 600 meters below the surface, he stated.
Karbasi added that Azerbaijan-triggered oil spills in the Caspian Sea have minimized the chances for the survival of aquatic creatures in the sea.
He noted that the southern coastlines of the Caspian Sea have been covered with oil slicks over the past few years with the last such incident happening four months ago, when about 25 tons of crude oil was cleared from Iranian shores.
An increase in oil pollution in maritime environment will gradually decrease the oxygen content available to aquatic animals, leading to their death, Karbasi stated.
Over the past two decades, the Caspian Sea has become increasingly exposed to the risk of pollution from oil and gas exploration and transport.
According to head of the Caspian Sea Ecological Research Institute Reza Pourgholam, the level of industrial and oil pollution in the sea has reached a "critical” level.
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