Iran’s top environmental official has said that a suspected oil spill in the Gulf near Kharg Island was most likely
Iran’s top environmental official has said that a suspected oil spill in the Gulf near Kharg Island was most likely caused by a tanker discharging waste water, rather than a leak from Iran’s oil infrastructure.
As highlighted, the slick which covers dozens of square kilometres near Iran’s main oil hub of Kharg Island, was detected in satellite imagery from Copernicus’ Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 systems between May 6 and 8.
Reuters reports that the images showed a grey and white sheen spreading west of the 8-kilometre-long island, raising concerns over a possible major spill.
However, Iranian Vice-President Shina Ansari stated that monitoring results indicate the pollution came from a non-Iranian tanker releasing ballast water contaminated with substances, adding that no leaks were found in Iran’s pipelines, oil terminals, or offshore facilities.
Windward’s MIOC has detected and is tracking an oil spill off Kharg Island, Iran — and it’s moving.
First detected May 5, 2026, 1.27 km west of Kharg Island’s western wing. Confirmed across three satellite passes over 20 hours.
What the data shows:
→ Spill location: 11 km… pic.twitter.com/LQX1QDaKFi
— Windward (@WindwardAI) May 8, 2026
Iran’s Oil Terminals Company also confirmed on 10 May that inspections showed no evidence of leaks from storage tanks, loading systems, or vessels operating in the area.
According to Reuters, earlier assessments, suggested the satellite imagery was consistent with an oil slick and potentially one of the largest incidents in the region since the start of the U.S.–Israel conflict involving Iran.
Authorities, however, maintain that the source is external and not linked to Iran’s oil operations.
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