Qeshm Oil Pollution Direct Result of US-Israeli Aggression: Deputy FM

Thursday, 13 August 2026 11:07 PM

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi (Photo by Tasnim news agency)

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi has firmly attributed the recent oil pollution along the shores of Qeshm Island to the repercussions of foreign military aggression in the region.

In a tweet on Thursday,  Gharibabadi also stressed that the incident further highlights the urgent necessity for the Islamic Republic to define and implement its own management mechanism for the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Gharibabadi’s remarks come as Iranian environmental authorities report the near-complete containment of the spill through rapid and effective action, demonstrating the country’s capacity to protect its sensitive marine environment despite the ongoing consequences of the US-Israeli war of aggression.

The statement makes clear that such environmental disasters are the direct and inevitable consequence of foreign military aggression, reinforcing Iran’s determination to establish a sovereign management mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz to safeguard its national interests, regional security and the marine environment of the Persian Gulf.

Habib Masihi Taziani, director general of Hormozgan Province’s Department of Environmental Protection, announced that pollution along southern Qeshm had been almost entirely collected by Wednesday evening, with remaining efforts nearing full completion.

Despite the environmental impact, monitoring teams found no carcasses of dolphins, sea turtles or other aquatic and coastal species linked to the pollution.

Officials confirmed that oil slicks in affected marine areas were removed using specialized absorbent pads and materials, while contaminated sand was carefully stripped from beaches to a depth of two to five centimeters.

The latest pollution forms part of the broader environmental fallout from the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, which has repeatedly targeted the country’s vital oil and energy infrastructure. On April 8, US-Israeli forces struck Iran’s Lavan oil refinery, triggering fires and extensive damage that released petroleum contamination into surrounding waters.

Iranian environmental authorities subsequently documented pollution along the southern and eastern shores of Lavan Island and the mainland coast near Bandar Maqam, with contamination also detected around Qeshm, Larak, Hengam and Hormuz islands.

These attacks have raised serious concerns over the wider ecological damage inflicted by strikes on Iran’s oil facilities, particularly along the sensitive coastline of Hormozgan Province.

Iran’s top environmental authority says US-Israeli aggression has caused oil pollution affecting parts of Qeshm Island and nearby coastal areas.

The US-Israeli aggression began on February 28, prompting the Islamic Republic to exercise its legitimate right of self-defense by launching missile and drone strikes against US and Israeli assets across the region and closing the Strait of Hormuz. Although Washington and Tehran signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding on June 17, renewed American aggression has since forced Iran to resume defensive operations against US targets and once again close the strategic waterway.