Oil spill blackens Qeshm Island shores as Iran scrambles cleanup
An oil spill off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz has blackened beaches and soil, prompting cleanup efforts and calls for compensation.
Iran is racing to contain an oil spill that has coated beaches and soil along Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, raising fresh concerns over the environmental toll of regional tensions.
Video footage from the island, dated August 10 and 13, shows darkened seawater, oil-stained bushes, and stretches of shoreline blackened by pollution. One clip captures a sign in Farsi warning that entering the shore and camping is prohibited, while the camera operator points to oil along a beach where turtles once laid eggs.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on X that those who benefit from commercial shipping through the strait are "obligated, both legally and morally" to compensate for and remedy the environmental damage. He suggested Iran should receive compensation for its containment efforts.
Tehran has not disclosed the source of the spill. However, TankerTrackers.com, citing satellite imagery, said the slick likely resulted from an Iranian attack on a bulk carrier off Oman, with oil drifting back toward Iran's coast.
Separately, Oman is dealing with another spill in the Arabian Sea from a tanker grounded near Qabiliyah Island. No party has claimed responsibility, and the cause of a reported explosion remains unclear. Experts warn the oil has been spreading rapidly, threatening a nearby marine protected area.