Satellite images and videos verified by Reuters show oil slicks near Qeshm and Sirri islands, raising concerns over the environmental impact of recent tanker incidents as tensions between Iran and the United States remain high.
The latest pollution comes as a separate environmental emergency develops off Oman, outside the Strait of Hormuz, where the grounded tanker Caroline Bezengi is leaking Russian crude into a protected marine area.
The slick from the Caroline Bezengi is estimated by some observers to cover about 2,000 square kilometres.
Satellite imagery from Copernicus’ Sentinel-2 satellites showed an oil slick near the southern end of Qeshm Island, a major Iranian island close to the country’s coastline.
Wim Zwijnenburg, an environmental open-source researcher with Dutch peace organisation PAX, said darker sections of the slick suggested the presence of heavy fuel oil, while a lighter, diluted section extended for roughly 160 kilometres.
Video footage recorded on August 11 and verified by Reuters showed dark, bubbling liquid reaching the shoreline at Suza on Qeshm Island, contrasting sharply with the surrounding turquoise waters.
John Amos, chief executive of SkyTruth, which uses satellite technology to monitor oil pollution, described the incident as a major spill.
A second slick was detected near Sirri Island, about 100 kilometres southwest of Qeshm Island. The island is also home to Iranian offshore oil and gas operations.
Researchers said the satellite images used in their assessment were captured on August 10 for Qeshm Island and August 13 for Sirri Island.
Samir Madani, co-founder of monitoring service TankerTrackers, said the Qeshm Island spill was likely linked to a leak from the Liberia-flagged dry bulk vessel Minoan Pioneer.
Maritime security sources said the vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile near Oman on August 3 in what was suspected to be an Iranian attack while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. One crew member was reported missing.
A maritime security source separately said the same incident was likely responsible for the pollution detected near Qeshm Island.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on X that oil pollution from the Gulf had reached Qeshm Island, adding that preliminary evidence pointed to a foreign bulk carrier as the source.
The incidents have heightened concerns over the environmental consequences of the continuing maritime confrontation, particularly in the ecologically sensitive waters surrounding the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Environmental experts warn that oil spills in the region could damage marine ecosystems, contaminate coastlines and threaten communities whose livelihoods depend on the sea, with impacts potentially extending beyond the immediate areas of the incidents.
Goodness Anunobi
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