Energy
May 13, 2026
An oil slick spanning about 45,000 square kilometres off the coast of Iran's main crude export site has been detected by satellite imagery, but Tehran claimed the spill did not originate from the country's infrastructure.
The oil, visible in images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 satellites between May 6 and 8, appeared as a grey-and-white slick west of Kharg Island, which handles the bulk of Iran's crude oil exports in the Gulf.
Iranian Vice President Shina Ansari said the slick was caused by a tanker from another country dumping ballast water contaminated by oily substances, rather than a leak from Iranian pipelines or oil facilities, state media reported.
