Satellite images show new oil slicks off Iran’s main oil export hub, raising leak fears and claims Tehran may be dumping crude at sea amid US blockade and storage shortages.
Some details of the skirmish between the U.S. military and Iran on Thursday night have yet to be released. But President Donald Trump, as is often the case, disclosed several details about the incident. Trump gave a vivid account of the Iranian attack on three U.S. destroyers, which were not damaged. “Missiles were shot at our Destroyers, and were easily knocked down,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Likewise, drones came, and were incinerated while in the air. They dropped ever so beautifully down to the Ocean, very much like a butterfly dropping to its grave!”
Meanwhile, new satellite images from the company Soar appeared to show large, fresh oil slicks off Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub. Tehran confirmed over the past week that oil production had been reduced because of the U.S. blockade, but the circumstances behind the slick remained unclear. It could be the result of a leak. Other claims have suggested oil was pumped into the sea because storage space had run out due to the blockade. In newer images, the oil slick appeared to be moving south. Social media users expressed concern over what appeared to be an oil spill in the satellite images.
“This must be dealt with quickly before the oil reaches the coasts of other Gulf states,” a Saudi influencer wrote on X, where he has more than 750,000 followers. In a statement overnight, the U.S. military said the three destroyers involved in the exchange of fire with Iran and that crossed the Strait of Hormuz “successfully,” as Trump put it, were the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Mason. (Read More)
