In a post on his X account, Gharibabadi said, “The oil pollution of the shores of Qeshm Island is caused by the effects of foreign military aggression in the region.”
He added that such damage to the environment of Iran’s Persian Gulf shores further highlights the need to establish and implement a mechanism for Iran, as a littoral state, to manage the Strait of Hormuz.
His comments came after Iran’s Department of Environment announced cleanup operations along the southern coasts of Qeshm and Hengam islands following oil pollution caused by the environmental consequences of military aggression.
Department of Environment chief Shina Ansari said the pollution was among the visible impacts of the aggression on Iran’s coastal and marine ecosystems. She said environmental officials, in cooperation with executive bodies and local communities, were carrying out cleanup operations, with part of the coastal strip in Suza already cleared.
Iranian officials have also warned of broader environmental damage to the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has stressed that environmental protection should be incorporated into any future arrangements for the administration of the Strait of Hormuz. He said preliminary evidence had pointed to a foreign bulk carrier as the source of the Qeshm pollution, which had been detected at several coastal locations and parts of the sea surface.
Baqaei said the incident was only a visible example of wider pollution that has affected the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman and damaged Iran’s coastal ecosystems over decades. He added that those benefiting from commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have legal and moral responsibilities to help address environmental damage in the region.