Mr Ali Salajegheh from Iran speaking at COP26
Mr Ali Salajegheh from Iran speaking at COP26

Climate change: Iran says lift sanctions and we'll ratify Paris agreement

Iran will ratify the landmark Paris agreement on climate change only if sanctions against it are lifted, a senior leader has told the BBC. Ali Salajegheh said sanctions were impeding Iran in areas like renewable energy. Iran is the world's eighth largest CO2 emitter, yet is one of the few countries not to ratify the Paris pact. Emissions have soared in recent years as overseas investments in renewable energy have collapsed. The government has also violently suppressed protests about water shortages. While the country's president Ebrahim Raisi has chosen not to come to the UN climate change summit in Glasgow, the Iranian team is here to plead for relief from the economic blockade.

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