11 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 8
Satellite monitoring service Orbital EOS estimated the spill off the island’s western coast covered more than 20 square miles by Thursday and may have released over 3,000 barrels.
The cause was unclear, but the slick has intensified concern over Iranian oil infrastructure as a US naval blockade and stalled talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz disrupt exports.
Kharg Island is Iran’s main crude export terminal, and damaged facilities, stranded tankers and shrinking storage capacity have raised risks of further leaks in the Persian Gulf.
With Iran's oil exports crippled, is the U.S. pressure campaign nearing a breaking point or a wider regional war?
Is environmental disaster the new cost of economic warfare as a massive oil slick threatens Gulf nations' water?