A second suspected oil slick has been detected near Iran’s Kharg Island export hub, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward AI, heightening fears of an environmental disaster as a larger spill identified May 8 continues drifting toward Saudi Arabian waters.

The suspected new slick comes as U.N. officials warned Sunday that oil spills in the region could trigger an environmental catastrophe amid the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis.

«Another possible oil spill was detected today at 11 a.m. local time,» Windward told Fox News Digital. The approximate visible area, according to the firm, was between 12 to 20 square kilometers.

Tehran has pointed to foreign vessels, but maritime experts say the main slick — estimated at tens of thousands of barrels and covering about 65 square kilometers, according to the U.N. University Institute for Water, Environment and Health — is more likely linked to aging infrastructure, pipeline ruptures or a «war mode» environment that has threatened the waterway since February.

IRAN THREATENS MASS ‘WATER WAR’ WITH STRIKES ON KEY PLANTS IN DAYS, UN OFFICIAL WARNS

«We should worry about the cause of the slick and monitor things carefully to see if there are new developments,» U.N. official Dr. Kaveh Madani told Fox News Digital.

«If this slick gets bigger, we should be seriously worried about there being a leakage of aging infrastructure,» Madani said, adding the slick was «moving away toward the southwest of the island.»

«We just have to see how it moves and if it gets closer to the centers of population. If it does, desalination operations also must be halted. The risk is low right now,» he said.

Madani also noted the slick is near a zone with a heavy concentration of pipelines and energy infrastructure.

«Keeping these infrastructure systems healthy and operational has been very hard for the Iranians even in peacetime due to sanctions,» he said, warning that amid conflict, a «major accident is very likely.»

Water circulation in the Persian Gulf is slow, meaning pollution can persist for extended periods, he added.

«We saw similar instances during the Gulf wars and the Iran-Iraq War, with these things impacting coastal communities, the fishing industry, marine life and even the intake of desalination plants,» he said.

BEFORE-AND-AFTER SATELLITE IMAGERY OFFERS A RARE LOOK AT DAMAGE INSIDE IRAN

Satellite view shows Kharg Island located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran. (Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2024)

The larger spill, visible in satellite images as a gray-and-white slick, was first detected west of Kharg Island, Windward AI reported May 8, and has been steadily moving.

«It is believed to be crude rather than bunker fuel and unlikely to have come from a ship, possibly originating from pipeline issues or a failed ship-to-ship transfer,» the firm said.

The spill could pass through Qatar’s exclusive economic zone within about four days, with possible landfall near Al Mirfa in the United Arab Emirates in roughly 13 days, according to Windward.

The incident comes as Washington ramps up «Economic Fury,» tightening sanctions and increasing its naval presence near the Strait of Hormuz to curb Iran’s oil exports.

Since Iran closed the strait in late February following the outbreak of hostilities, tankers have bottlenecked across the region as the vital oil chokepoint remains largely shut.

«We also know that there are many tankers in the area, so there is a chance of an accidental spill,» Madani said.

US EYES SEIZING IRAN’S OIL LIFELINE — BUT IT MAY NOT CRIPPLE TEHRAN

A second suspected oil slick near Iran’s Kharg Island is raising environmental fears as a larger spill drifts toward Gulf waters and officials warn aging infrastructure, conflict and tanker congestion could worsen the threat. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)

«As long as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is there and the region is in a war mode, the environment would not be a priority, but monitoring the behavior of tankers would not be trivial,» he said.

Meanwhile, Jafar Pourkabgani, a lawmaker representing Bushehr province, claimed the slick was caused by «oil residue and ballast water waste from European tankers» discharged into the sea.

«This claim is false and part of the enemy’s psychological operation,» he wrote on X, referring to allegations Iran released oil due to full storage tanks.

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Iran’s Oil Terminals Company also denied reports of a leak near Kharg Island, according to Reuters.

The company’s chief executive said Sunday that inspections found no evidence of leaks from storage tanks, pipelines, loading facilities or nearby tankers.

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that five prisoners from Poland and Moldova were released from detention in Belarus and Russia following diplomatic efforts involving the U.S., marking a rare breakthrough in negotiations with the two countries.

The release includes Polish journalist and activist Andrzej Poczobut, whose case has drawn international attention and concern from European leaders, and signals a potential opening for limited cooperation between Washington and Minsk, even as tensions with Russia remain high and broader disputes persist.

«We just secured the release of three Polish and two Moldovan prisoners from Belarusian and Russian detention,» Trump said on Truth Social. «Thanks to my Special Presidential Envoy, John Coale, we were able to push hard to make this release happen.

«My friend, President Karol Nawrocki of Poland, met with me last September and asked me to help secure Andrzej Poczobut from Belarusian prison,» he continued. «Today, Poczobut is free due to our efforts. The United States delivers for our Allies and Friends.

SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO HAILS RELEASE OF US PRISONER IN BELARUS AS CONTROVERSY HANGS OVER NATION’S ELECTION

«Thank you to President Aleksandr Lukashenko for his cooperation and friendship. So nice!» Trump added.

Poczobut, a correspondent for the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza and a prominent member of Belarus’ Polish minority, had been serving an eight-year sentence in a case widely criticized as politically motivated.

He was arrested in 2021 after reporting on pro-democracy protests in Belarus, drawing international condemnation. Poczobut was later awarded the Sakharov Prize, the European Union’s top human rights honor.

POLISH CONSERVATIVE KAROL NAWROCKI WINS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO SUCCEED DUDA

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski addresses a joint press conference in Warsaw on Sept. 29, 2025, following a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Weimar Triangle and Ukraine. (Wojtek Radwanski/AFP)

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski described Poczobut as both a symbol of the fight for freedom in Belarus and an example of Poland’s commitment to securing the return of its citizens.

The exchange was part of a broader series of prisoner releases negotiated with U.S. involvement, reflecting a recent thaw in relations between Washington and Minsk under Trump.

A spokesperson for Poland’s Foreign Ministry said the deal involved a multi-country arrangement, with three individuals transferred from Belarus to Poland in exchange for three sent in the opposite direction, alongside others released through separate agreements.

AMERICAN AMONG 3 DETAINEES RELEASED FROM BELARUS

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko listens during a meeting with foreign correspondents in Minsk, Belarus, on July 6, 2023. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

Those freed included Grzegorz Gawel, a Roman Catholic friar from the Carmelite order in Krakow, as well as a Belarusian national who had worked with Polish intelligence services, according to Polish officials, who did not publicly identify the individual.

Earlier this year, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko authorized the release of 250 political prisoners under an agreement with Washington that led to a partial easing of U.S. sanctions.

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Belarus, a longtime ally of Russia, has remained largely isolated from the West for years. Lukashenko, who has been in power for more than three decades, has faced repeated sanctions over human rights abuses and for allowing Russian forces to use Belarusian territory during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

El salvadoreño Evelio Menjívar, quien huyó de la guerra civil en su país en 1990 y llegó a Estados Unidos escondido en el maletero de un automóvil, ha sido designado obispo de la diócesis de Wheeling-Charleston, en una región de Virginia Occidental. Tres décadas después de cruzar la frontera guiado por un “coyote”, Menjívar ocupará el cargo eclesiástico, según informó EFE.

Durante la entrevista con EFE, Menjívar rememoró su travesía: en su primer intento, viajó a Tijuana, México, donde fue detenido y deportado tras ver la bandera estadounidense al otro lado de la frontera y posponer su sueño de residir en ese país. Tras dos intentos fallidos, logró cruzar finalmente —apretado junto a su hermano y dos primos dentro de un maletero— hasta California. El sacerdote describe su llegada a Los Ángeles como el salto de la vida rural a una “ciudad grandísima, multicultural, multiétnica”, un entorno completamente nuevo para él.

La historia de Menjívar contiene elementos diferenciadores frente a otros relatos sobre migración y religión en Estados Unidos. Será el primer obispo salvadoreño de la historia del país, y su designación ocurre en una región donde el 90 % de la población es estadounidense y caucásica, y donde Donald Trump obtuvo un respaldo arrollador en las elecciones de 2024, conforme a lo señalado por el propio obispo a EFE.

En una región con escasa diversidad, Menjívar afronta el reto de ejercer su labor pastoral en un entorno descrito como un “bastión republicano”. Preguntado por la lógica detrás de su nombramiento, rechaza que se trate de una provocación del pontífice al expresidente estadounidense, señalando que la decisión es coherente con los valores misioneros de León XIV, quien también tuvo experiencia como misionero en Perú. “No ha tenido miedo de tomar una decisión de enviarme ahí porque él mismo fue misionero en Perú. Allí, a pesar de que era un extranjero, la gente lo llegó a amar porque abrió su corazón”, resaltó Menjívar en sus declaraciones recogidas por EFE.

En el plano político, el nombramiento coincide con un movimiento diplomático: el mismo día de la entrevista, Marco Rubio, secretario de Estado, mantuvo una reunión en el Vaticano con el papa León XIV. Para Menjívar, este encuentro representó “una buenísima oportunidad para trabajar juntos” y expresó que “a ninguno beneficia que no haya diálogo o que se manden mensajes que en vez de unir dividen y sobre todo que dividen a la comunidad”.

El sacerdote, que obtuvo primero protección humanitaria, luego una visa de trabajador religioso y finalmente la ciudadanía estadounidense en 2006, señaló que espera ser recibido en Virginia Occidental como “un pastor de esos que huelen a oveja” y como alguien dispuesto a “remangarse para trabajar por la gente”. Según afirmó Menjívar a EFE.

El propio Menjívar explicó que, al llegar como indocumentado a Estados Unidos, le habría gustado oír de un obispo los verbos que el papa repite para hablar de migración: “dar la bienvenida, acoger, proteger, promover”. Su objetivo como nuevo obispo en Virginia Occidental es predicar esos principios y abrir caminos para que los inmigrantes sean tratados con dignidad, sin que el modo de su llegada defina su valor ante la sociedad.

Su vida, detalló el obispo, así como la de otras personas en busca de mejores oportunidades, “no puede ser definida únicamente por la manera en la que uno llega al país”. Para él, según enfatizó en la entrevista, “no importa si uno llegó escondido en un maletero, con un visado o en un avión. Eso es solo una parte de tu historia, no toda”.

Al describir los riesgos del desplazamiento forzado para quienes crecieron en contextos de violencia, como el suyo en El Salvador durante la guerra civil, Menjívar sostuvo ante EFE: “Uno hace un arreglo con alguien a quien se le llama coyote y no piensas en el riesgo, porque es un instinto de supervivencia. No piensas que vas a violar la ley de un país. Eso nunca se piensa.”

La designación de Evelio Menjívar como obispo pone en primer plano las tensiones migratorias y políticas de la actualidad estadounidense, al tiempo que, en palabras del propio religioso, abre la posibilidad de que la Iglesia ofrezca acompañamiento y acogida “más allá del estigma con el que cargan muchos inmigrantes”.