The spill was caused by an explosion in a corroded pipeline at the port city of Daylam in Bushehr province, Mehr said.
“The pipeline blast and the subsequent discharge of crude oil has created large spills in the sea, some of which stretch 20 km (12 miles) along the shoreline going 8 km (5 miles) into the sea,” said Amir Sediqi, a local official of the Environmental Organisation.
The report did not say how much oil was lost or when the leak started. The Oil Ministry was not immediately available to comment.
Stormy weather was hampering clean-up efforts, Sediqi said.
Some 40 percent of the world’s traded crude oil passes through the Gulf and oil extraction and conflicts have posed a significant threat to the marine environment. (Writing by Hashem Kalantari; Editing by David Hmolmes)
