1. United States
2. Utah
3. Letter

Use your constitutional authority to end military operations in the Strait of Hormuz immediately. This conflict is killing civilians and destroying marine ecosystems that cannot recover. The Arabian Gulf is home to fewer than 100 Arabian humpback whales that cannot migrate out of these waters. Naval mines, underwater explosions, and military sonar are killing fish outright and damaging the auditory systems of marine mammals. Ship engines and sonar fill the same low-frequency range these whales use to feed, navigate, and reproduce, forcing them into starvation periods that weaken them over time. Approximately 7,000 dugongs depend on seagrass meadows that oil slicks will destroy by blocking sunlight and photosynthesis. The Gulf is a "slow-flush" sea that takes two to five years to exchange its waters. Contaminants from oil, fuel, and debris will persist long after fighting stops. With 800 vessels trapped behind the maritime blockade preparing to move through potentially mined waters, the increased traffic and noise will intensify pressures these species are already struggling to survive. War disrupts the ability to monitor ecosystems precisely when observation is most needed. For species with no escape route, the damage may be irreversible. End this now.