US-Israel-Iran War Latest News: Iran has expressed its concerns over an oil spill that has extended to the country’s southern Qeshm Island within the context of the ongoing US-Israeli-Iranian war and the rising tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. Esmaeil Baqaei, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, noted that the spill has already affected both the waters of the Gulf and the Sea of Oman and demanded that the offenders be compensated for the damage. Iran claims that the preliminary investigation indicates that the spill originated from a foreign vessel, while TankerTrackers reported that the oil accident happened as a result of the Iranian attack on a bulk carrier Minoan Pioneer in Omani waters on August 3. This case has created another environmental and diplomatic issue in the surrounding regional conflict.
US-Israel-Iran War Latest News: Iran calls for compensation after Hormuz oil spill
Iran warned on Thursday (August 13, 2026) of environmental degradation in the Strait of Hormuz after an oil spill reached its southern Qeshm island, calling for compensation from those responsible.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the slick had “degraded the waters” of the Gulf and Sea of Oman, claiming “preliminary evidence indicates a foreign bulk carrier as the source”.
TankerTrackers, a U.S.-hosted website that monitors shipping movements worldwide, said, however, that the spill seemed to derive from an Iranian attack on bulk carrier Minoan Pioneer in Omani waters on August 3.
“The spillage then drifted across the strait over to Iran,” it said.
Mr Baqaei wrote on X that such spills have in “recent decades imposed trillions of dollars in damage on Iran’s coastal areas”, calling for compensation.
US-Israel-Iran War Latest News: Iran Rejects US Claim That Hormuz Traffic Is Normal
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters has rejected US claims that commercial shipping is moving normally through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement released Thursday, the Iranian military spokesperson described Washington’s claims about normal vessel traffic as “nothing but falsehoods and lies” and said they reflected what Tehran called US military desperation.
The spokesperson insisted that Iran continues to control and manage the strategic waterway.
He said, “No commercial ship or oil tanker has had and will have the possibility of safe transit through this strait without the permission and supervision of Iran’s powerful Armed Forces.”
The statement marks another sharp escalation in the competing US and Iranian narratives surrounding the waterway, which carries a significant share of global energy shipments.
US-Israel-Iran War Live News: Iran Warns of Stronger Response
Tehran also issued a fresh warning over any potential US or Israeli military action.
The Iranian military said its forces were monitoring US and Israeli activity across the region and remained prepared to respond to threats.
The spokesperson said Iran’s armed forces “will have no hesitation” in responding to any threat, regardless of its nature or scale, with a response “more forceful and severe than before.”
Iran also accused Washington of attempting to create “mischief and insecurity” in the region.
The statement comes as negotiations aimed at easing the US-Iran conflict continue to face uncertainty, while the status of commercial navigation through Hormuz remains one of the most difficult issues between the two sides.
US-Israel-Iran War Live News: Hormuz Shipping Traffic Plunges
Independent shipping data provides a stark picture of the disruption.
According to data analysed by Moneycontrol, the seven-day moving average for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz stood at only four vessels on August 9.
That compares with 67 vessels during the same period last year, representing a decline of roughly 94%.
The average remained around four ships for much of the first week of August. It stood at four on August 1, compared with 85 a year earlier, and remained at that level from August 3 through August 7.
Traffic briefly increased to five ships on August 8 before falling back to four the following day.
Other shipping trackers have also recorded exceptionally low traffic through Hormuz. Reuters reported that only six vessels crossed the strait on August 10, far below the pre-war level of roughly 130-140 vessels.
US-Israel-Iran War Latest News: Only One Dry-Bulk Ship Crossed on August 9
The daily figures show just how limited commercial movement has become.
On August 9, only one dry-bulk vessel crossed the Strait of Hormuz, according to the data cited by Moneycontrol.
The tracking data recorded no container ships, general cargo vessels, roll-on/roll-off vessels or tankers that day.
The situation looked somewhat different on August 8, when three container ships, three dry-bulk vessels, one general cargo ship and one tanker crossed the waterway.
The sharp reduction in tanker traffic is particularly significant because oil and petroleum products account for a major portion of the commercial flows through the strategic chokepoint.
US-Israel-Iran War Latest News: Bab al-Mandeb Also Faces Severe Disruption
The shipping crisis extends beyond Hormuz.
Traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, another critical maritime route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, also remained well below last year’s levels.
The seven-day moving average reached 25 ships on August 9, compared with 34 during the corresponding period last year — a decline of about 26%.
Traffic briefly dropped to an average of 24 vessels on August 6 and 7 before recovering slightly.
Reuters has also reported that traffic patterns across the region have remained highly uneven as shipping companies reassess risks and the outlook for US-Iran negotiations.
US-Israel-Iran War Latest News: US and Iran Give Conflicting Accounts
The latest dispute has also highlighted a fundamental disagreement between Washington and Tehran.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that the United States has “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran continues to insist that it controls navigation through the waterway. CBS reported Thursday that Trump’s latest comments came amid a sharp decline in shipping activity.
Iran, meanwhile, says commercial vessels need permission and supervision from its armed forces to cross safely.
The reality on the water appears more complicated than either side’s public claims. Ships are still moving through Hormuz, but traffic remains dramatically below normal levels, while operators continue to face security, insurance and routing concerns.
US-Israel-Iran War Latest News: Shipping Companies Face Growing Uncertainty
The prolonged disruption has forced shipping companies to reassess routes and schedules.
Earlier Reuters reporting showed that vessel traffic through Hormuz had already fallen significantly as operators waited for greater clarity over the security situation and negotiations.
Research published this month also found evidence of major shipping-route changes, including increased traffic around the Cape of Good Hope as vessels avoid disrupted Middle Eastern chokepoints.
That means even when fighting eases, commercial traffic may not immediately return to previous levels. Shipping firms need assurances over safety, insurance and predictable passage before restoring normal schedules.
US-Israel-Iran War Latest News: Hormuz Becomes Key Test for US-Iran Peace Efforts
The latest Iranian warning comes at a critical moment for efforts to end the conflict.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the central issues in negotiations between Washington and Tehran, particularly over who can guarantee safe passage and under what conditions.
For now, the numbers tell a clear story: commercial traffic remains severely depressed, despite US claims that the waterway remains accessible.
With Iran insisting that it controls safe passage and warning of a harsher response to any new threat, the Strait of Hormuz is likely to remain one of the biggest flashpoints in the US-Iran conflict and one of the most closely watched routes in the global energy market.
