TEHRAN, IRAN – The foreign ministry of Iran blamed pollution in Gulf waters on the military operations of the United States on August 17, 2026, following reports of multiple oil spills.
Okay News reports that foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei demanded accountability from the American government during a news briefing.
Baqaei said, “This environmental damage stems from the US military presence and the wars it has waged in the region over the past five decades.”
The spokesman estimated the financial impact of the damage at “trillions of dollars.” He said, “The damage caused to the environment of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is not solely linked to this war.”
The Iranian government called for compensation last week after an oil slick in the Strait of Hormuz reached the island of Qeshm, affecting local beaches and an environmentally sensitive mangrove forest. Baqaei cited preliminary evidence identifying “a foreign bulk carrier” as the source of the spill, which Iranian officials later said had been “completely cleaned up.”
State media in Oman reported that a separate oil slick from a tanker that ran aground off the coast had reached the shoreline. An investigation by Agence France-Presse previously found that the vessel had been stranded for weeks near Al-Qibliyyah island after it was damaged by explosions.
