Second Suspected Oil Slick Detected Near Iran's Kharg Island Amid Strait of Hormuz Crisis

A second suspected oil slick has appeared near Iran's Kharg Island export hub, maritime intelligence firm Windward AI reported. The discovery raises concerns of an environmental disaster while a larger spill spotted on May 8 drifts toward Saudi Arabian waters.

United Nations officials warned Sunday that oil spills in the region could spark an environmental catastrophe during the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis.

"Another possible oil spill was detected today at 11 a.m. local time," Windward told Fox News Digital. The firm estimated the visible area at 12 to 20 square kilometers.

Tehran has blamed foreign vessels. But maritime experts say the main slick, which holds tens of thousands of barrels and covers about 65 square kilometers according to the U.N. University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, likely stems from aging infrastructure, pipeline ruptures or a war mode environment that has imperiled the waterway since February.

"We should worry about the cause of the slick and monitor things carefully to see if there are new developments," U.N. official Dr. Kaveh Madani told Fox News Digital.

"If this slick gets bigger, we should be seriously worried about there being a leakage of aging infrastructure," Madani said. He added that the slick was moving away toward the southwest of the island.

"We just have to see how it moves and if it gets closer to the centers of population. If it does, desalination operations also must be halted. The risk is low right now," he said.

Madani pointed out that the slick sits near a zone packed with pipelines and energy infrastructure.

"Keeping these infrastructure systems healthy and operational has been very hard for the Iranians even in peacetime due to sanctions," he said. He warned that amid conflict, a major accident is very likely.

Water circulation in the Persian Gulf moves slowly, so pollution can linger for long periods, he added.

"We saw similar instances during the Gulf wars and the Iran-Iraq War, with these things impacting coastal communities, the fishing industry, marine life and even the intake of desalination plants," he said.

The larger spill showed up in satellite images as a gray-and-white slick west of Kharg Island, Windward reported on May 8. It has moved steadily since then.

"It is believed to be crude rather than bunker fuel and unlikely to have come from a ship, possibly originating from pipeline issues or a failed ship-to-ship transfer," the firm said.

Windward projected that the spill could enter Qatar's exclusive economic zone in about four days and reach land near Al Mirfa in the United Arab Emirates in roughly 13 days.

The incident unfolds as Washington escalates "Economic Fury," with tighter sanctions and more naval forces near the Strait of Hormuz to limit Iran's oil exports.

Iran shut the strait in late February after hostilities broke out. Tankers have piled up across the region as the key oil chokepoint stays mostly closed.

"We also know that there are many tankers in the area, so there is a chance of an accidental spill," Madani said.

"As long as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is there and the region is in a war mode, the environment would not be a priority, but monitoring the behavior of tankers would not be trivial," he said.

Jafar Pourkabgani, a lawmaker from Bushehr province, claimed the slick came from oil residue and ballast water waste dumped by European tankers.

"This claim is false and part of the enemy's psychological operation," he wrote on X, referring to allegations that Iran released oil due to full storage tanks.

Iran's Oil Terminals Company denied reports of a leak near Kharg Island, according to Reuters. The company's chief executive said Sunday that inspections found no evidence of leaks from storage tanks, pipelines, loading facilities or nearby tankers.