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US-Iran war leaves vast oil slicks across Persian Gulf, threatening lasting marine damage

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Summary

  • The war between the United States and Iran began on 28 February 2026 and has made the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route, a battlefield.
  • Greenpeace has documented more than 500 oil spills by satellite since the war began, with a cumulative footprint of roughly 20,000 square kilometers.
  • More than 133 tanker attacks have occurred since the conflict started, with October 2026 the worst month and attacks continuing into November.
  • Slicks have contaminated coastlines and threaten coral reefs, mangroves, sea turtles, dolphins and fishing grounds across the Gulf.
  • The naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz makes documenting pollution from the ground almost impossible, and some regional researchers have been told not to speak publicly.
  • The Gulf's shallow, confined waters already face severe pressure from the climate crisis, raising fears of damage lasting decades.

Reactions

  • Marine biologist Bernhard Riegl warned the damage could be generational, saying 'we could really lose something irreplaceable'.
  • Riegl said 'there is no such thing as a clean war', for people or for the environment.
  • Greenpeace expert Nina Noelle said oil could stay trapped in sediments and mangrove roots long after slicks disappear, harming food chains and fishing communities.
  • After the Gem No 2 strike, the United Arab Emirates closed beaches, launched a major cleanup and monitored its desalination plants.
  • Environmental researcher Wim Zwijnenburg of Pax said two Iranian naval vessels hit in March kept leaking oil for months.
  • Some researchers and environmentalists in Iran and Gulf states said domestic authorities instructed them not to speak publicly about the damage.

Timeline newest first

  1. Attacks on oil tankers continued into November 2026 in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters.
  2. United Arab Emirates authorities said on 30 October 2026 that the leak from the struck supertanker Gem No 2 had been stopped and pollution was declining.
  3. Greenpeace identified more than 500 oil spills by satellite across the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea since the war began.
  4. October 2026 was the worst month, with more than 30 confirmed or reported tanker attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters.
  5. A strike on the supertanker Gem No 2 off the United Arab Emirates left a slick stretching more than 21 miles.
  6. A satellite image dated 19 October 2026 showed a large patch of black oil moving into waters off Umm Al Quwain.
  7. An attack on the Liberian-flagged tanker Minoan Pioneer on 3 August 2026 was linked to a major slick.
  8. Oil was reported washing ashore at Qeshm Island in August 2026, near fishing grounds and turtle nesting sites.
  9. Greenpeace estimated a slick from an early June 2026 tanker attack off Oman covered more than 230 square miles at its peak.
  10. In April 2026, oil pollution threatened the protected Shidvar Island, home to coral reefs, seabirds and turtles.
  11. On 11 March 2026, the Thai bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz and an Iranian drone strike set fire to oil storage tanks at Oman's Port of Salalah.
  12. In March 2026, a slick from the Shahid Bagheri was detected near the Hara mangroves.
  13. Two Iranian naval vessels hit in March 2026 continued leaking oil for months, according to Pax researcher Wim Zwijnenburg.
  14. The war between the United States and Iran began on 28 February 2026.

Sources newest first