Iran estimates environmental damage from Hormuz oil spill at trillions of dollars

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said oil pollution might have caused trillions of dollars of damage to the region’s marine ecosystem.

The Iranian diplomat added footage of a major oil slick off Qeshm to his post on X as he blamed the incident on a foreign vessel.

"This incident is just one example of major pollution - both visible and invisible - that has degraded the waters in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman as well as the region’s marine ecosystem over past decades, inflicting trillions of dollars of damage to Iranian coastal areas," he wrote.

Everyone involved in commercial shipping operations must bear legal and moral responsibility for clearing the aftermath in the region, he added.

According to Associated Press, the 247-meter tanker Caroline Bezengi departed from a Black Sea port in May, and on June 8, the crew reported an explosion on board. The tanker subsequently ran aground near the Al Hallaniyat Islands in Oman’s Dhofar Governorate, resulting in an oil spill. Oil that spilled from the tanker Caroline Bezengi has fouled 12 km of Omani coastline.