Suspected oil spill seen on satellite images near Iran's Kharg Island export hub

PHOTO CAPTION: A satellite image shows likely oil spill covering dozens of square kilometers near Iran's Kharg Island, May 6, 2026. (EUROPEAN UNION/COPERNICUS SENTINEL-2/Handout via REUTERS)

By Aaron McNicholas and Catherine Cartier (Reuters)

LONDON, May 8  -  A suspected oil spill covering dozens of square kilometres of sea near Iran's main oil hub of Kharg Island has been seen on satellite imagery this week.

The likely spill - appearing on images as a grey and white slick - covered waters to the west of the 8-kilometre (5-mile) long island, pictures from Copernicus’s Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 satellites showed on May 6-8. 

“The slick appears visually consistent with oil,” said Leon Moreland, researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory, who estimated that it was covering an area of approximately 45 square km.

 Louis Goddard, co-founder of consultancy Data Desk, which focuses on climate and commodities, agreed that the images likely showed an oil slick, which he said was potentially the largest to occur since the start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran 70 days ago. 

The U.S. military and Iran's mission to the United Nations in Geneva did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the images. 

The cause of the possible spill and the point of origin are currently unknown, Moreland added, noting that images from May 8 showed no evidence of additional active spills.

Kharg Island, where U.S. forces said they had destroyed military targets earlier in the war, is the hub for 90% of Iran's oil exports, much of which is bound for China. 

The U.S. Navy has been blockading Iran's ports in an attempt to stop Tehran's tankers from entering and exiting, while U.S. and Iranian forces have clashed in the Gulf. 

The war has also trapped hundreds of ships in the Gulf and caused the world’s biggest disruption to crude oil supply, as well as hitting global supplies of oil products and liquefied natural gas.

(Editing by Kirsten Donovan // REUTERS)