Overview
- European Copernicus satellites captured a grey-white sheen about 45 square kilometers west of Kharg Island that analysts say looks like oil and may be the Gulf’s largest spill since the war began.
- The cause and exact source are unknown, authorities in Washington and Tehran have not commented, and recent images showed no sign of an active, ongoing discharge.
- Maritime risk firm Windward projects a slow southeast drift that could reach Qatar’s exclusive economic zone within days and approach the United Arab Emirates within weeks, raising contamination risks for coastal intakes.
- Kharg Island is Iran’s main export hub for crude, handling about 90% of shipments, which makes any spill or shutdown there a pressure point for Iran and for buyers that had depended on those barrels, including China.
- Analysts say Iran’s export system is under strain from U.S. naval pressure, and they outline unproven possibilities for the slick that include operational overflow at terminals or leaks from aging tankers used as floating storage.