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Iran's Qeshm Island Reportedly Hit by Oil Spill Tied to Tanker Attack

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Iran is currently dealing with an oil spill off Qeshm Island, a result of attacks on commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf, according to multiple media reports.

Satellite imagery shows a dark slick off the village of Shib Deraz, a breeding ground for endangered hawksbill sea turtles, as well as black deposits along local beaches, Bloomberg reported.

TankerTrackers.com said in a social media post Wednesday that the spill appears to have originated from an Iranian attack on the bulk carrier Minoan Pioneer while the vessel was in Oman's Musandam Governorate.

The oil then drifted across the Strait of Hormuz toward Iran.

Iranian authorities have not attributed the Qeshm slick to the attack, but environmental officials said an investigation into its source was ongoing, Iran International, a London-based Persian-language news outlet, reported Wednesday.

As of Tuesday, the International Maritime Organization has reported 65 confirmed incidents involving damage to ships across the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz since March.

Neighboring Oman is also responding to a separate oil slick from a grounded tanker off its southeastern coast, threatening marine habitat home to turtles, dolphins and whales.

The oil could affect about 40 kilometers or 25 miles of coastline near Ras Madraka as well as Masirah Island, Reuters reported.

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