Iran Demands Accountability as Oil Spill Pollutes Qeshm Coast

By Staff, Agencies

Iran has called for accountability after an oil spill from a foreign vessel polluted parts of Qeshm Island’s coast, stressing that those benefiting from navigation through the strategic Strait of Hormuz must help address the environmental damage.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said pollution was documented at three coastal sites and across parts of the sea surface, with the spill affecting more than one kilometer of coastline and reaching mangrove forests near Naqasheh.

Authorities have launched an investigation and continue cleanup operations.

Meanwhile, Baghaei said environmental protection must be integral to any future framework governing the Strait of Hormuz, warning that decades of visible and hidden pollution have damaged marine ecosystems across the Gulf and Sea of Oman.

He also questioned who should compensate Iran for the damage, pointing to energy-consuming countries, maritime insurers, and “aggressors and their allies” whose military operations and weapons testing have further harmed the region.

As Iran has the longest coastline along the Gulf and Sea of Oman, Baghaei stressed that Tehran cannot remain indifferent to pollution affecting its shores. Cleanup teams have so far cleared around 950 meters of coastline in the Suza area, while monitoring continues along Qeshm and Hengam islands.