Satellite imagery has detected potential oil slicks near the Strait of Hormuz following American military bombardments targeting oil tankers that Washington claimed were linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Expert analyses indicate strong signs of marine pollution in the area, although the exact origin of the floating slicks has not been verified with complete certainty.
Recent satellite photographs examined by Agence France-Presse show potential hydrocarbon leaks in the waters off the Iranian coast near the strategic maritime passage.
An image captured on Wednesday by the European Copernicus service revealed brown traces on the sea surface roughly 20 kilometers off the coast of Iran, situated to the east of the strait.
A subsequent satellite image of the same maritime area taken on Thursday showed that the dark spiral-shaped traces had expanded across the water.
The Copernicus programme is the Earth observation component of the European Union, utilizing a network of Sentinel satellites to track land, ocean, and atmospheric developments globally.
The Strait of Hormuz serves as one of the world's most critical oil transit chokepoints, connecting the petroleum-rich Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
According to analysis by Agence France-Presse and evaluations from environmental researchers, the floating formations are likely tied to fuel or crude oil leaks.
The affected zone holds major ecological significance, hosting coral reefs as well as protected wetlands registered under the international Ramsar Convention.
The Ramsar Convention, signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, is an international treaty aimed at preserving wetlands of global importance for biodiversity and migratory wildlife.
The surrounding waters of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman support delicate marine life, including shallow coral reef systems vulnerable to toxic hydrocarbon contamination.
Expert Evidence of Marine Pollution
Satellite imagery alone cannot provide definitive proof of the exact substance or the specific vessel responsible for the leakage.
However, Vincent Kerbaol, the head of satellite maritime monitoring at French technology company CLS, told Agence France-Presse that strong indications exist that the pollution originated from ships.
Leon Moreland, a researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory, a British non-governmental organization, also assessed that the images likely show oil slicks.
Moreland noted that his conclusion was based on the physical appearance, shape, and dispersal pattern of the slicks, as well as the absence of features typical of natural phenomena such as phytoplankton or algae blooms.
CLS, a subsidiary of the French Space Agency CNES, specializes in satellite-based maritime surveillance and environmental tracking.
The Conflict and Environment Observatory is a United Kingdom organization dedicated to studying the environmental footprint and ecological damage caused by military conflicts.
American environmental monitoring firm SkyTruth reached the same conclusion, stating that the visible marks were very likely hydrocarbons.
Additional observations reported by monitoring platform SoarAtlas highlighted thermal anomalies detected off Iran in the Gulf of Oman, alongside satellite views of a vessel near Abu Musa Island with a slick stretching approximately 30 kilometers.
SkyTruth is a non-profit organization based in the United States that uses remote sensing and satellite data to identify environmental pollution and industrial incidents worldwide.
Abu Musa Island is a strategically situated island in the eastern Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz, lying close to international commercial shipping lanes.
Sunken Tankers Riesco and Kylo Struck in US Raids
Investigators and satellite analysts are focusing on two specific locations where the floating traces appear to begin, which correspond to the last known positions of two oil tankers, the Riesco and the Kylo.
The two vessels sank on September 8 and September 5 respectively after being targeted during military engagements.
Commercial oil tankers such as the Riesco and Kylo carry substantial volumes of heavy fuel oil for engine propulsion in addition to any liquid petroleum cargo they transport.
When such large commercial vessels suffer severe structural compromise or sink, fuel tanks can breach, releasing persistent oil plumes into surrounding coastal waters.
The United States military announced that its forces destroyed five oil tankers on September 8, four of which were located within the Gulf of Oman.
Officials in Washington stated that the airstrikes were conducted in retaliation for ballistic missile attacks launched by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against an American warship.
United States Central Command oversees American military operations across the Middle East and Central Asia.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a major branch of the Armed Forces of Iran, operating its own naval and missile units alongside traditional national defense forces.
Among the ships destroyed during the operation was the Riesco, a 240-meter-long tanker that caught fire and sank following the strike, according to footage released by the American armed forces.
Leon Moreland stated that given the geographic location and the sequence of events, the Riesco likely represents one of the primary sources of the marine contamination.
Data from the ship-tracking service MarineTraffic showed that the final position signal from the Riesco was transmitted on Wednesday at 01:00 Greek time.
That final broadcast location matched the precise origin point of the oil slick observed nearest to the Iranian coastline.
MarineTraffic relies on global Automatic Identification System networks, which receive radio transmissions from commercial ships to map vessel coordinates, speed, and navigation routes in real time.
Potential Environmental Impact and Oil Persistence
The total volume and duration of the environmental damage will depend on the chemical composition of the spilled substance.
Vincent Kerbaol noted that if the slick consists of lighter, more volatile fuel, the surface marks could evaporate within three to four days.
Kerbaol added that if the spill involves heavier crude oil, the substance will remain in the marine environment for a significantly longer period.
A prolonged oil spill would elevate the long-term ecological threat facing local wildlife and coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Oman.
Heavy crude oil spills pose severe hazards to marine biodiversity, as thick petroleum residues settle on reefs, coat sea life, and disrupt coastal habitats.
The enclosed marine geography of the Strait of Hormuz amplifies environmental risks because restricted water circulation can trap pollutants near sensitive shorelines.
