A growing oil spill from a damaged Iranian naval vessel is threatening a protected mangrove ecosystem near the Strait of Hormuz, raising environmental concerns even as fighting between the US, Israel and Iran has recently eased under a temporary suspension of attacks.
The Guardian reported on Tuesday that 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 since remained grounded in shallow waters in the ecologically sensitive Khuran Strait.
Satellite analysis indicates the slick has drifted west toward the Hara Biosphere Reserve, the Gulf’s largest mangrove forest and a critical habitat for migrating birds, fish species 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 explained that circulating currents in the strait are pushing contaminated water toward mangrove areas despite tidal shifts.
Cleanup efforts were previously hindered by bombardment, though the risk persists despite a recent two-week suspension of US strikes and Iran’s agreement to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a temporary ceasefire.
