Why US-Iran war over Hormuz is threatening the Gulf’s waters
US-Iran attacks on tankers around Hormuz are raising fears of devastating oil spills across the Gulf.
The United States-Iran war is increasingly being fought at sea, with both sides targeting oil tankers and other vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
On September 8, the US struck five Iranian oil tankers, provoking an Iranian attack on Jordan’s Al-Azraq airbase.
Just three days earlier, the US also hit three other Iranian tankers. Those strikes came after Iran launched ballistic missiles towards a US aircraft carrier and a navy destroyer near the Strait, according to US Central Command. Iran too subsequently said it had targeted three oil tankers travelling through what it called an “unauthorised route” in the Strait, as well as three US-linked vessels elsewhere.
Over 770km of coastline from southern Kuwait to Abu Ali Island in Saudi Arabia were engulfed in oil and tar, wiping out the local marine ecosystems.