Oil Spill from Iranian Naval Ship Poses Threat to Gulf Mangrove Reserve

(MENAFN) A growing oil spill from a damaged Iranian naval vessel is endangering a protected mangrove ecosystem near the Strait of Hormuz, raising serious environmental concerns even as fighting between the US, Israel, and Iran has eased under a temporary suspension of attacks, according to reports.

The Iranian drone carrier Shahid Bagheri began leaking heavy fuel oil after being struck by a US warplane on March 6 during the early days of the US-Israel offensive against Iran. The vessel has remained grounded in shallow waters within the ecologically sensitive Khuran Strait.

Satellite monitoring shows that the oil slick has drifted westward toward the Hara Biosphere Reserve, the Gulf’s largest mangrove forest and a critical habitat for migrating birds, fish, and endangered turtles.

Tim Richards, a retired satellite remote sensing consultant tracking the spill, warned it could become “the most ecologically significant in the region since the first Gulf war.” He noted that circulating currents in the strait are pushing contaminated water toward mangrove areas despite tidal shifts.

Environmental analyst Wim Zwijnenburg, who has been documenting conflict-related ecological damage, highlighted that multiple smaller spills have already occurred across the Gulf.

“If you keep shooting at oil [and] chemical tankers, at some point you will create a catastrophe if it goes wrong,” he said. “So far, the environment has been escaping a disaster from all these attacks.”

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