Beka’i said that according to preliminary findings, the source of the current pollution is most likely a foreign commercial vessel, and that oil stains were recorded in three coastal areas and in parts of the sea. According to him, this is just one example of cumulative environmental damage caused over decades by commercial and military activity in the area. He claimed that overt and covert pollution damaged the marine ecosystem and caused “trillions of dollars in damage” to Iran’s coastal areas.
Data published in Iran indicate that the latest pollution affected about 32,000 square meters of Qashm beaches and another 90,000 square meters of nearby waters. The oil slicks also reached the mangrove forests in the area and the beaches used as nesting sites for sea turtles. On some beaches, the materials penetrated to a depth of about ten centimeters, and in shallow marine areas up to about 30 centimeters.
Bakai wondered who would bear the costs of the restoration, the countries that consume the energy exported from the Gulf, the insurance companies of the vessels or the countries that, according to him, turned the area into a theater of military activity. He emphasized that Iran demands that the restoration of the ecosystem of the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman become part of any future mechanism for managing shipping lanes in the region.