Satellite images have captured a large crude oil spill spreading at sea west of Kharg Island, a key oil export base in Iran, raising concerns about environmental pollution.

According to estimates from Orbital EOS, a global oil spill monitoring service, cited by The New York Times (NYT) on Friday, the estimated area of marine pollution captured in satellite images as of Thursday was approximately 50 square kilometers, with about 3,000 barrels of crude oil spilled.

The NYT reported that the crude oil spilled and floating on the sea as of midday Thursday was moving south towards Saudi Arabian territorial waters. Iranian state-run media have not reported the spill, and the Iranian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the article.

Among experts, possibilities such as ▲ damage to crude oil tanks or pipelines, and ▲ the possibility that Iranian oil authorities intentionally discharged crude oil to prevent damage to wells or oil production facilities due to saturated storage facilities are being discussed. U.S. President Donald Trump has argued that if Iran's maritime blockade continues, Iran will be unable to export crude oil, leading to saturation of its domestic oil storage facilities, and that the maritime blockade would serve as leverage to bring Iran to the negotiating table.

U.S. NNP=Sung Ku Hong Chief Reporter / Special Contribution NNP info@newsandpost.com