Iran Refinery Strike Spills Oil Onto 870-Hectare Shidvar Wildlife Island
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 19
Iran Refinery Strike Spills Oil Onto 870-Hectare Shidvar Wildlife Island
6 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 19
Satellite images and video show oil from an April 9 strike on Iran’s Lavan refinery spreading around nearby Shidvar Island, a protected Persian Gulf breeding ground for seabirds and other wildlife.
April 10 Pléiades Neo imagery showed the refinery still burning two days after the attack, while footage from the island showed oil-soaked waves, dead birds and marine life, and dolphins surfacing through polluted water.
Shidvar—also known as Maroo Island—is a 3.3-square-mile Ramsar wetland and wildlife refuge that Iran has protected since 1972, making the spill a significant wartime ecological hit.
Iranian officials have not acknowledged environmental damage from the strike, which came hours after the United States and Israel agreed to a ceasefire and after Washington had urged Israel to stop hitting oil infrastructure.
The spill adds to broader war-linked pollution, including oily rain reported in Tehran and environmental damage tied to Iranian attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.
As war targets oil, are the water supplies for millions the next to be hit?
With 21 billion litres of oil trapped, is the Gulf facing an irreversible ecological collapse?
Who sabotaged the Iran ceasefire just hours after it was signed?
2026 Shidvar Island Oil Spill: Environmental Disaster Escalates Under Persian Gulf Blockade
Overview
In early April 2026, a military strike on Iran’s Lavan oil refinery—occurring just hours after a ceasefire between the U.S. and Israel—triggered a major oil spill that reached Shidvar Island. This disaster unfolded amid escalating regional tensions, with earlier Israeli attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure prompting Iranian retaliatory strikes across Gulf states. Despite the visible environmental threat, Iranian officials have not acknowledged any harm, leaving the spill unaddressed. The ongoing conflict, political priorities, and military blockades have prevented cleanup efforts, putting Shidvar Island’s unique wildlife and the broader Persian Gulf ecosystem at severe risk.