Iran's Qeshm Island Hit with Oil Spill as Gulf Tensions Rise

An oil spill has reached Iran's Qeshm Island and fouled Oman's southern coastline, causing environmental damage and posing a threat to wildlife.

The spill is attributed by Iran to 'foreign military aggression' in the Strait of Hormuz, but a US-based tanker tracker suggests it originated from an Iranian strike on a bulk carrier earlier this month.

The Minoan Pioneer, a Liberia-flagged, Greek-managed bulk carrier, was struck by a projectile on 3 August, approximately 20 nautical miles northeast of Khasab in Oman's Musandam Governorate.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said preliminary evidence pointed to a foreign bulk carrier as the source and called for compensation from those responsible.