Iran blames US military presence for Gulf oil spills and claims trillions in damage

Iran's foreign ministry on Monday blamed pollution in Gulf waters on US military operations in the region, following several oil spills including one that reached the island of Qeshm. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei estimated the environmental damage at trillions of dollars and called for the United States to be held accountable.

What did Iran say about the Gulf oil spills and US military damage?

Baqaei said the environmental damage to the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman stemmed from US military presence and the wars Washington has waged in the region over the past five decades. He called the Qeshm incident "only one example" of decades of pollution and said the damage caused was not solely linked to the current war. Iran called for the United States to be held accountable for what it estimated as trillions of dollars in damage to Iran's coastal areas.

What caused the oil spill near Qeshm island?

Last week, Iran sought compensation after an oil slick in the Strait of Hormuz reached Qeshm island, affecting beaches and an environmentally sensitive mangrove forest. At the time, Baqaei cited preliminary evidence identifying a foreign bulk carrier as the source of the spill, which Iranian officials later said had been completely cleaned up. Iran subsequently said the Qeshm pollution was caused by foreign military action in the region.

What is the separate oil spill off Oman?

Omani state media reported that an oil slick from a tanker that ran aground off Oman had reached the coastline, with Euronews describing it as a far larger spill from a stricken vessel fouling Oman's southern coastline. An AFP investigation found that the vessel had been stranded for weeks near Oman's Al-Qibliyyah island after being damaged by explosions. The two incidents have added an environmental dimension to the ongoing conflict in and around the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran framing both spills as part of a broader pattern of damage caused by military activity in the Gulf.