Satellite images appeared to show an oil slick spreading off the coast of Iran’s Kharg Island, a key oil export terminal for the Islamic republic.
The apparent spill, located off the small Gulf island’s west coast, had an unclear cause.
Orbital EOS, which monitors oil spills, told The New York Times that the spill appeared to cover more than 20 square miles as of Thursday.
The Conflict and Environment Observatory, a non-governmental organisation, said on X that the “original source remains unclear; meanwhile, it’s drifting south and seems unlikely to be addressed appropriately.”
Kharg Island is at the heart of Iran’s oil export industry, a lynchpin of the country’s battered economy.
It sits off Iran’s Gulf coast, hundreds of kilometres northwest of the narrow, strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iran largely closed the strait at the start of its conflict with the United States and Israel on 28 February. The United States has since imposed a blockade of Iranian ports, stranding many tankers in the area.
Kharg Island has Iran’s largest oil terminal, oil pipelines, storage tanks and related infrastructure.
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