Following the attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, the oil pollution in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman has turned into a serious ecological disaster.
Sea-news.az reports that Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated on the “X” social media platform that the total damage caused by oil spills in the region over many years already amounts to trillions of dollars.
As a result of the strike on the vessel “Minoan Pioneer” on August 3, a large volume of fuel spread into the sea and reached the southern shores of Iran’s Qeshm Island. Satellite imagery captured by the “Copernicus” mission on August 10 confirmed the wide scale of the pollution.
The oil slick has covered the coastlines from Soza beach to Shib Deraz, including the Hara mangrove forests—an important natural area with fragile ecosystems inhabited by rare animal species.
According to Baghaei, such incidents cause further deterioration to the region’s marine ecosystem, which has suffered serious damage over recent decades.
Iran emphasizes that all countries engaging in commercial shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz bear legal and moral responsibility for preventing environmental damage and eliminating its consequences.
