Iran Denies Responsibility for Oil Spill as Tracking Platform Contradicts Official Claims

Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have reached new heights as Iran points fingers at 'foreign military aggression' for an oil spill on Qeshm Island. The island's shores are polluted, and senior officials say it's a result of military strikes by the US and its regional allies.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi made this claim in a post on X, without naming names, saying that the damage strengthens Tehran's case for a coastal management framework over the waterway. 'The oil pollution of the shores of Qeshm Island stems from the repercussions of foreign military aggression in the region,' he said.

However, tracking platform TankerTrackers has a different story to tell. According to them, the spill appears to have originated from an Iranian attack on bulk carrier MINOAN PIONEER on August 3rd when it was in the Musandam Governorate of Oman. The spill then drifted across the strait over to Iran.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei also weighed in, referencing videos showing oil contamination along Qeshm's coastline. He said that preliminary evidence pointed to a foreign bulk carrier as the source and that pollution had been documented at three coastal sites and across portions of the sea surface.