Iran urges accountability over environmental damage in Hormuz Strait amid US aggression
Iran says addressing environmental damage in the Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters must be an integral part of any future framework governing the strategic waterway, following a recent oil spill off Qeshm Island.
In a post on X on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei highlighted the environmental concerns in the Persian Gulf, saying the condition of the Strait of Hormuz and adjacent marine areas cannot be overlooked.
Baghaei pointed to videos circulated in recent days showing oil pollution along the shores of Qeshm Island, saying the contamination had drifted toward the coastline from the Persian Gulf and that preliminary evidence indicated a foreign bulk carrier was responsible for the spill.
Why must addressing the environmental condition of the Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters form an integral part of any future administration of the Strait?
— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) August 12, 2026
In recent days, videos have circulated showing oil pollution along the shores of Qeshm Island. This pollution… pic.twitter.com/UpSWlqePvd
Pollution has been documented at three coastal sites and across sections of the sea surface, he added.
He described the incident as only one visible manifestation of the extensive environmental degradation that has affected the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman over recent decades.
According to the spokesman, both apparent and concealed forms of pollution have damaged marine ecosystems and inflicted losses worth trillions of dollars on Iran’s coastal regions.
Baghaei further raised questions about responsibility for compensating the environmental damage, asking whether accountability lies with countries that consume the region’s inexpensive energy exports, shipping insurance companies, or the aggressors and their partners who have turned the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman into a theater for military operations and the testing of highly destructive weapons.
Baghaei said Iran, as the country with the longest coastline along the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, cannot remain indifferent to the environmental challenges facing the region.
“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 upon the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman,” he said.
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