Satellite Images Show Oil Slick Spreading From Iran’s Kharg Island

Satellite images appear to show an oil slick off Iran’s Kharg Island, a key export hub, spreading across the Gulf. The images, analyzed and reported by Al Jazeera on May 10, 2026, indicate the slick has begun to expand from waters near the island, which serves as Iran’s primary terminal for loading crude oil tankers.

Kharg Island handles a significant share of Iran’s oil exports, making any disruption or pollution there a matter of both environmental and economic concern. Professor Chuk Okereke told Al Jazeera that a spill there could quickly become an environmental and geopolitical disaster.

He urged rapid independent verification to determine the source and scale of the release before it spreads further. No official confirmation of a spill has been issued by Iranian authorities so far. The satellite observations come amid heightened regional tensions, where any major oil incident could affect shipping routes and environmental conditions across the Gulf.

An uncontrolled release near Kharg Island would threaten marine ecosystems and fisheries that support coastal communities. Cleanup efforts in the shallow waters of the Gulf are complicated by strong currents and the area’s heavy tanker traffic. Geopolitical complications could arise if neighboring countries perceive the slick as a transboundary pollution event.

Independent verification, as called for by Okereke, would likely involve data from multiple satellite providers and possibly on-site sampling by third parties.