U.S.-Israeli Aggression Poisons Iran’s Persian Gulf Coastline With Oil
TEHRAN – Oil pollution has affected parts of Qeshm and Hengam islands in the Persian Gulf, with Iranian environmental officials directly blaming the U.S.-Israeli military aggression for the toxic spill.
Shina Ansari, head of Iran’s Environmental Protection Organization, said the contamination along the southern coasts of Qeshm and Hengam is among the “clear consequences of the military aggression on Iran’s coastal and marine ecosystem.”
In a post on X, Ansari said environmental authorities, executive bodies and local communities are working to contain the pollution, with part of the Suza coastline already cleared.
Omid Sedighi, director general of the Marine Pollution Office, said parts of the coasts of Suza, Shib Deraz and Naqasheh, along with a limited section of Hengam Island, have been affected in recent days.
Specialized environmental teams have been deployed, with cleanup operations being carried out in coordination with local authorities and communities. Around 950 meters of the Suza shoreline have already been cleaned manually.
Habib Masihi Taziani, director general of Hormozgan’s Department of Environmental Protection, said pollution along southern Qeshm had been almost completely collected by Wednesday evening, with efforts nearing completion.
The pollution has affected around 32,000 square meters of coastal areas and approximately 90,000 square meters of marine waters. Despite the impact, monitoring teams found no carcasses of dolphins, sea turtles or other aquatic species linked to the pollution. Shib Deraz beach and its important sea turtle habitat had not been damaged.
Officials confirmed that oil slicks were removed using specialized absorbent pads, while
contaminated sand was stripped from beaches to a depth of two to five centimeters.
The latest pollution adds to the broader environmental fallout from the U.S.-Israeli aggression. On April 8, U.S.-Israeli forces struck Iran’s Lavan oil refinery, triggering fires and releasing petroleum contamination into surrounding waters.
Environmental authorities subsequently documented pollution along the southern and eastern shores of Lavan Island and the mainland coast near Bandar Maqam, with contamination also detected around Qeshm, Larak, Hengam and Hormuz islands.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stressed that the incident highlights the urgent necessity for Iran to define and implement its own management mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said pollution had drifted toward the coastline from the Persian Gulf, with preliminary evidence indicating a foreign bulk carrier was responsible.
He described the incident as one visible manifestation of extensive environmental degradation that has affected the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman over recent decades.
Baghaei questioned responsibility for compensating the damage, asking whether accountability lies with countries that consume the region’s energy exports, shipping insurance companies, or the aggressors who have turned the Gulf into a theater for military operations.
Baghaei said Iran, as the country with the longest coastline along the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, cannot remain indifferent.
“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 inflicted,” he said.