Two slicks have surfaced in Iranian waters inside the Gulf, near Qeshm Island and Sirri Island, based on satellite imagery and video verified by Reuters, adding to environmental concerns as Iran-U.S. tit-for-tat attacks on oil tankers and other vessels disrupt a major shipping corridor. Analysts cited by Reuters said the Qeshm slick may be heavy fuel oil (thick residual marine fuel) and could be linked to a leak from the Liberia-flagged Minoan Pioneer, a dry bulk carrier (cargo ship for unpackaged commodities) struck by an unknown projectile near Oman's coast on August 3; Reuters could not independently confirm the cause or the substances involved. The spills follow a separate leak from the grounded tanker Caroline Bezengi off Oman outside the Strait of Hormuz that has created a slick some estimates put at 2,000 square km, though that incident has not been linked to the Iran war. A spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, said preliminary evidence "indicates a foreign bulk carrier as the source," while a salvage source said access to the Minoan Pioneer was delayed by issues obtaining permission from Iranian authorities.