🔸Oil contamination observed on the southern coasts of Qeshm Island has spread to the area of the Hara mangrove forests in the village of “Naqqasheh.”

🔸IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday, 21 Mordad, that some of the oil slicks had entered the area of these forests, and that monitoring and cleanup operations had been launched with the aim of preventing further spread of the contamination.

🔸Despite two days passing since the report of this contamination, the head of the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Office of Qeshm announced that the exact source of the entry of the oil slicks would be determined based on “expert assessments and the collection of reports from the responsible agencies.”

🔸Hara mangrove forests are among Qeshm’s sensitive coastal ecosystems, and they play an important role in preserving biodiversity, coastal stability, and the habitat and reproduction of various aquatic species and birds.

🔸The coasts of Hormozgan also faced widespread oil contamination this spring. On 12 Ordibehesht, the director-general of the Department of Environmental Protection of Hormozgan had announced that the contamination at that time had been caused by an attack on the Lavans oil refinery, and that petroleum materials had reached various points along the province’s coasts, including Qeshm, Larak, Hengam, and Hormoz.