Iran warned of environmental degradation in the Strait of Hormuz, after videos have circulated showing oil pollution along the shores of Qeshm Island.

The pollution drifted toward the coast from the Persian Gulf and preliminary evidence indicates a foreign bulk carrier as the source, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on X, calling for compensation from those responsible.

Contamination has been documented at three coastal sites and across portions of the sea surface.

Baqaei wrote on X that this incident is only one visible example of the extensive pollution – both overt and concealed – that has degraded the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, as well as the region’s marine ecosystem, over recent decades, imposing trillions of dollars in damage on Iran’s coastal areas.

He added that all parties benefiting from commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had both a legal and moral duty to remediate the environmental harm caused there.

“As the country with the longest coastline along the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, Iran cannot remain indifferent. Every party that benefits from commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz carries both a legal and a moral obligation to remediate the environmental harm inflicted upon the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.”

“Who bears responsibility for compensating these damages?” the spokesperson asked. “Is it the nations that consume the inexpensive energy exported from our region, the shipping insurers, or the aggressors and their partners who have transformed the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman into a theater for military operations and the testing of highly destructive weaponry?.”

Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs Kazem Gharibabadi has 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 Iran to define and implement a management mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest spill follows another incident near the Al Hallaniyat Islands after a tanker ran aground. A major salvage operation has been launched to mitigate the potential environmental impacts of the stricken 159,168-dwt crude oil tanker Caroline Bezengi located off the Omani coast in the vicinity of the Hallaniyat Islands in the Dhofar Governorate.

Risk and response management firm Ambrey said on Thursday it has been mobilised as part of a significant international response including salvage vessels, aircraft and an experienced team of specialist personnel with over 100 tons of equipment.

Specialist personnel have already boarded the disabled since June vessel with the support of the Royal Air Force of Oman to assess conditions onboard and commence cargo and vessel stabilisation.

Ambrey said it was working with all relevant stakeholders, including within the Sultanate of Oman, and has contracted the support of a “leading international oil spill response company.”