![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/strait-of-hormuz1_8YYvJFy2qU.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAmerica-Iran war is no longer limited to land and sky. In recent days, attacks on oil tankers and other commercial ships around the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz have extended the war’s impact to the main seas.<\/p>\n
The biggest risk is not limited to human and economic damage. Due to large-scale oil spills, the marine ecosystem of the Gulf region is also likely to be disrupted.<\/p>\n
On September 8, America attacked five Iranian oil tankers. Prior to that, on September 5, the US military targeted three Iranian crude oil tankers. Such attacks have increased concerns about large amounts of oil spilling into the sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dozens of oil tankers piled up in Hormuz<\/p>\n
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes. Large quantities of crude oil and petroleum products are transported daily. According to MarineTraffic data on September 7, 42 tankers were waiting to cross Hormuz, 18 of which were carrying oil. Hundreds of other ships were also stopped or moving very slowly in the Gulf of Oman and surrounding sea areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although it is not clear how much oil was actually in these 42 tankers, their estimated combined capacity is 1.76 million cubic meters. This is equivalent to about 11 million barrels of oil. This is about 11 percent of the world’s total daily oil demand. If any one of these ships carrying such a large quantity of oil is hit by a missile or explosion and sinks or catches fire, millions of liters of oil can spread into the sea. Such an accident can cause long-term damage to the coastal areas of the Gulf, fish and other marine life, and the sensitive ecosystem.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
75 ships attacked since the war began<\/p>\n
It is known that at least 75 ships have been attacked since the war began, and at least 21 maritime workers have died. At least two of these incidents have caused minor oil spills, and six have resulted in fires.\u00a0This shows how serious the risk of a major maritime accident could be if attacks on commercial ships continue in the coming days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not only is there a possibility of a major accident in the Gulf region, but the problem of oil pollution has also begun. In early June, the crew of the oil tanker ‘Caroline Bezenghi’ reported suspected explosions, and the ship was stranded about 41 kilometers off the coast of Oman. Oil is leaking from it. According to Reuters, the tanker carried about 800,000 barrels of oil.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oman’s Environment Authority has warned that the spill could affect about 40 kilometers of coastline around Ras Madrakah and Masirah Island. On August 3, the Liberian-flagged ship ‘Minoan Pioneer’ was also hit by a missile near Oman and caught fire. Satellite images taken on August 10 showed a large oil slick near Qeshm Island and Sirri Island. Experts believe the oil slick near Qeshm may be related to the ‘Minoan Pioneer’.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The dire example of the 1991 Gulf War<\/p>\n
The risk of oil pollution in the Gulf region is not new. In the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi forces set fire to oil wells while retreating from Kuwait. Those wells burned for months, and a large amount of oil spread into the northern Gulf region.\u00a0Its impact lasted for decades on the coastlines of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.\u00a0According to studies, more than 770 kilometers of coastline from southern Kuwait to Abu Ali Island in Saudi Arabia were covered in oil and tar.\u00a0This caused great damage to marine life and the ecosystem.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The current US-Iran war has increased the risk of the same history repeating. The only difference is that this time, not just oil wells, but dozens of giant tankers in the sea have become potential sources of pollution.<\/p>\n
Risk to corals, mangroves, and marine life<\/p>\n
The Persian Gulf is one of the hottest and most saline marine environments in the world. Even in these difficult conditions, there are important habitats such as coral reefs, seagrass, mangroves, muddy coastal areas, and saline marshes.\u00a0These areas are important as food and breeding grounds for fish, sea turtles, dugongs, and migratory birds.\u00a0Mangroves and other coastal ecosystems also play a role in protecting the coastline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, this gulf is connected to the open ocean only to a limited extent. Due to its narrow sea mouth, which is almost closed, pollution can take a long time to escape once it spreads.\u00a0Ocean currents and winds can carry the oil far from the accident site.\u00a0When oil spreads on the water surface, it can have toxic effects on marine life and can cover corals and mangroves.\u00a0It can pose a particular threat to fish eggs and larvae.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to Dr. Hussein Sameh Al-Masri, a marine science expert at Sultan Qaboos University, oil and petroleum hydrocarbons can directly affect marine life, including fish, corals, and plankton.\u00a0Its impact can also change the movement, distribution, reproduction, and migration of fish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/strait-of-hormuz_L2HcIGbjiZ.webp\")
<\/p>\n
Economic impact on fishing and coastal communities, drinking water problems<\/p>\n
The impact of oil pollution is not limited to marine life.\u00a0The livelihoods of fishing communities in the Gulf region may also be at risk.\u00a0Oil can sink below the sea surface and accumulate in sand, mud, and marine sediments.\u00a0This can keep the marine habitat polluted for a long time.\u00a0A decrease in fish means fewer fishing opportunities, increased costs, and a threat to the income of coastal communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another significant risk in the Gulf is related to drinking water.\u00a0Most countries in the Gulf meet a large part of their population’s drinking water needs by treating seawater.\u00a0According to data, desalination, the technology for making seawater drinkable, plays a major role in the water supply for about 65 million people in the Gulf region.\u00a0There are also such facilities on the southern coast of Iran.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If an oil spill reaches near the seawater intake points of desalination plants, the quality of the raw water being treated can be affected.\u00a0In extreme cases, it may be necessary to temporarily shut down the desalination plants.\u00a0However, experts say the actual risk depends on the location of the spill, ocean currents, the distance and depth of the intake, and the treatment technology used.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Modern monitoring, forecasting models, and advanced treatment technologies can reduce the risk, but the most important measure is to identify oil pollution before it reaches the seawater intake systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"America-Iran war is no longer limited to land and sky. In recent days, attacks on oil tankers and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[26],"tags":[8900,69392,5594,4776,19354,77355,46100,36033,143,3297,39,9042,101,5506,1080],"class_list":["post-285108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-persian-gulf","tag-1991-gulf-war","tag-coastal-communities","tag-desalination","tag-economic-impact","tag-environmental-damage","tag-fishing-industry","tag-marine-ecosystem","tag-marine-life","tag-maritime-security","tag-oil-spill","tag-persian-gulf","tag-pollution","tag-strait-of-hormuz","tag-tanker-attacks","tag-us-iran-conflict"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117240547994897125","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}