Iranian parliament representative: Oil spill near Halq Island is from emissions of European oil tankers

A representative of the Iranian Islamic Parliament said that the reports claiming that "Iran would dump its oil into the sea because the storage tanks were full" were untrue and were part of an enemy's psychological warfare campaign.

Xinhua News Agency, citing the Iranian Tasnim News Agency's report from early Saturday morning (May 9th), said that Iranian lawmaker Pulkabani stated that the oil pollution around Kharg Island originated from the residual oil and ballast water waste discharged by a European oil tanker, and it has damaged the environment.

On the 8th, the British Wavd Marine Analysis Company said on social media that the "leakage" of oil pollution near Halke Island was continuing to spread. It was first discovered on May 5th. Images taken by the Copernicus Sentinel series of satellites from May 6th to 8th showed a grayish-white oil film in the sea area west of Halke Island. Some analysts said that this oil film "appears visually consistent with the characteristics of crude oil" and is estimated to cover an area of about 45 square kilometers.

The media in the United States and Israel reported that due to the continuous maritime blockade imposed by the United States, Iranian oil tankers were unable to leave the port. As a result, Iran's crude oil storage capacity was about to reach its limit. Some people speculated that the crude oil discovered near the Halq Island might have been deliberately discharged into the sea by the Iranian side due to a lack of storage space. However, there is no evidence to support this view.