Iran cleans oil pollution on southern coasts after military aggression

Shina Ansari, head of Iran's Department of Environment, announced on X that oil pollution affecting the southern coasts of Qeshm and Hengam islands is a visible consequence of military aggression on Iran's coastal and marine ecosystems. She stated that cleanup operations are underway in cooperation with executive bodies and local communities, and that part of the coastal strip in Suza has already been cleaned.

The pollution has raised concerns among Iranian officials about broader environmental consequences of military activities in the Persian Gulf. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei recently emphasized that environmental protection must be integral to any future arrangements concerning the administration of the Strait of Hormuz.

Referring to the oil pollution along Qeshm's shores, Baqaei said preliminary evidence pointed to a foreign bulk carrier as the source, with contamination detected at several coastal sites and parts of the sea surface. He stressed that this incident is only a visible example of wider pollution that has degraded the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman and damaged Iran's coastal ecosystems over the past decades.

Baqaei argued that parties benefiting from commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have both legal and moral responsibilities to help address environmental damage to the region's waters. According to Mehr News Agency, the cleanup efforts are ongoing, and the Department of Environment continues to monitor the situation.