Satellite imagery taken on August 10 appeared to show large oil slicks off the coast of Iran's Qeshm and Hengam Island near the Strait of Hormuz. European Space Agency/Sentinel 2
Oil spills seen off Iran's Qeshm Island
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- Thick, black oil has washed up along more than one kilometer of coastline on Qeshm Island.
- Iranian officials are investigating the source, with a marine source among the possibilities.
Thick, black oil has washed ashore on Iran’s Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz, covering stretches of coastline along the island’s southeast coast.
Pools of oil were seen extending along the beach, with the pollution affecting more than one kilometer of coastline, according to Shahmorad Jafari, head of the Qeshm Island Department of Environment.
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State broadcaster IRIB reported Jafari as saying the pollution had affected "over 1 kilometer" of the beach.
Iranian authorities are investigating the source of the oil, Fars News Agency reported, while a clean-up operation was underway.
The state-affiliated agency said a marine source was among the possibilities being considered, but officials have not yet identified the origin of the pollution.
Qeshm Island lies in the Strait of Hormuz, a major global energy transit route connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
