Iran Battles Oil Spill Near Key Persian Gulf Island of Qeshm

Iran is battling an oil spill off Qeshm Island, underscoring the environmental risks posed by attacks on tankers in the Persian Gulf.

Satellite images show a dark, elongated trail in waters off the coastal village of Shib Deraz — a breeding ground for endangered hawksbill sea turtles — as well as black deposits on the beaches. The semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency reported that a cleanup was underway.

The risk of spills in the Gulf has increased with multiple assaults on tankers during the five-month US-Iran war. The International Maritime Organization, which keeps a tally of damage to ships, says there have been 65 confirmed incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and across the Middle East since the beginning of March.

The ISNA report didn’t specify the source of the pollution, but said responders are using absorbent sheets to contain and collect it. TankerTrackers.com Inc. commented on the spill in a post on X, suggesting it resulted from an Iranian attack on a bulk carrier earlier this month.

Earlier in the war, Tehran approved a route for certain ships seeking to traverse Hormuz, insisting they travel between Qeshm and Larak islands near the country’s southern coast. Qeshm has repeatedly been hit by US airstrikes during the conflict.

The reported spill comes just as Oman, south of Iran, responds to a separate oil slick near its southeastern coast after a tanker ran aground. The affected area is similarly home to diverse marine life, including turtles, dolphins and whales.

Photograph: Satellite imagery shows an elongated oil slick in waters off Shib Deraz on Iran’s Qeshm Island; Source: Copernicus Sentinel/ESA via Bloomberg