Satellite images captured on 8 September 2026 showed traces of an oil spill extending from several tankers anchored southeast of Iran’s Kharg Island, days after the US Central Command announced strikes targeting two oil tankers off the island. The images did not establish the cause of the spill or identify the vessel it came from.
A preliminary analysis of images from the European Sentinel-2 satellite indicates that the slick was not visible in an image captured on 5 September, the day the US military announced the strikes, before appearing clearly in images from the eighth of the month.
US strikes off the island
The US Central Command said targeting the two tankers on 5 September was a response to what it described as the launch of ballistic missiles toward two US warships patrolling territorial waters.
On 8 September, the United States announced that it had targeted five tankers it said were linked to Iran’s oil trade—four in the Gulf of Oman and the fifth near Kharg Island. US pressure had shifted from sanctions to military operations against tankers, under what Washington described as a “tanker-for-tanker” principle.
Signs of continued loading activity
A comparison of images captured on 3 and 8 September showed a tanker at the loading pier southeast of the island that was not present in the earlier image. Images dated 29 August also showed another tanker at the eastern loading pier, indicating continued operational activity at the oil terminal.
Images captured on 14 August had previously shown the resumption of oil-loading activity on Kharg Island, with a large tanker berthed at the Azarbad pier west of the island.
Restrictions on Iran’s oil exports
The developments followed Washington’s tightening of restrictions on Iranian oil exports. On 7 July 2026, the US Treasury Department revoked a general license that had temporarily allowed transactions linked to Iranian oil, ahead of the 17 July deadline for winding down existing operations.
