Iran demands environmental terms for Strait of Hormuz amid twin Gulf oil spills

Two separate oil spills are fouling waters across the Gulf region, with Iran on Thursday demanding that environmental protection become a central pillar of any future arrangement governing the Strait of Hormuz and a vast slick from a grounded tanker off Oman threatening to become one of the world's worst in years.

Iran Demands Compensation Over Qeshm Island Pollution

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Thursday that videos had emerged showing oil contamination along the shores of Qeshm Island, with preliminary evidence pointing to a foreign bulk carrier as the source. Satellite images show a dark trail in waters off the coastal village of Shib Deraz — a breeding ground for endangered hawksbill sea turtles — along with black deposits on beaches, according to Bloomberg.economictimes+2

Baqaei said the incident was "only one visible example" of decades of environmental degradation that had imposed "trillions of dollars in damage" on Iran's coastal areas. "Every party that benefits from commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz carries both a legal and a moral obligation to remediate the environmental harm," he wrote on X. He pointed to energy-consuming nations, shipping insurers, and countries conducting military operations in the Gulf as potentially liable parties.economictimes

The firm TankerTrackers.com suggested the Qeshm spill resulted from an Iranian attack on a bulk carrier earlier this month, according to an Associated Press report.news4jax

Shadow Fleet Tanker Threatens Oman's Coast

Separately, crude oil leaking from the sanctioned tanker Caroline Bezengi has now reached Oman's mainland, its environment authority confirmed on Wednesday. The vessel — believed to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" and sanctioned by Britain and the European Union — was carrying nearly one million barrels of oil when it reported an explosion in June and ran aground near Qabiliyah Island.bostonherald+1

The spill has spread across more than 2,000 square kilometers, according to Reuters, threatening a marine nature reserve and wildlife including Arabian Sea humpback whales and Socotra cormorants. Contamination has reached beaches at Ras Madrakah, roughly 125 miles north of the grounding site, with authorities warning the southern coasts of Masirah Island could also be affected.dunyanews+1

British maritime risk company Ambrey announced it has been hired to send vessels to salvage the tanker and stop the leak.instagram+1

Strait Reopening Tied to Broader Demands

Iran's newly appointed Supreme National Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until Washington ends the war and blockade, releases frozen assets, and agrees to a region-wide ceasefire covering Lebanon and Gaza. "Until all conditions are met, the Strait will remain closed," he wrote on X. Commercial shipping currently continues under heightened security, though the environment remains volatile as diplomatic efforts to revive a collapsed interim peace deal have yielded no progress.dunyanews+1