Satellite images released on Thursday have revealed possible hydrocarbon slicks near the Strait of Hormuz, following the destruction of several tankers by the U.S. military in the Gulf of Oman. These images, captured by the European Copernicus program and analyzed on Thursday, show brownish, winding streaks on the water's surface, approximately twenty kilometers from Iran’s coastline. The images, taken on Wednesday and Thursday, show similar structures in an area near coral reefs and wetlands designated as internationally important under the Ramsar Convention. However, satellite imagery alone cannot definitively confirm the presence of hydrocarbons or identify their exact source. Experts have expressed a high likelihood that the streaks are hydrocarbon slicks, based on their appearance, shape, and how they spread across the water. Vincent Kerbaol, head of satellite maritime monitoring activities at the French company CLS, said the visible structures are "very likely to be hydrocarbon slicks." Similarly, Leon Moreland, a researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS), noted that the structures "very likely" represent hydrocarbon pollution. The analysis also rules out the presence of phytoplankton or algae, which might otherwise create similar surface patterns. While the American NGO Skytruth also considers the presence of hydrocarbons probable, the duration of these traces depends on the type of substance involved. Fuels with high volatility could evaporate within a few days, whereas crude oil might persist in the environment for longer. The observed traces begin near the last known positions of two tankers, the Riesco and Kylo, which sank on September 8 and 5, respectively. On September 8, the U.S. military announced it had destroyed five tankers in the Gulf of Oman in response to ballistic missile attacks by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards against a U.S. warship. The Riesco, a 240-meter-long tanker, caught fire before sinking, according to images released by the U.S. military. The last signal from the Riesco, recorded on the maritime tracking site Marinetraffic, was on Tuesday at 10 p.m. GMT, and its location aligns with one end of the observed slick closest to the coast. Leon Moreland suggested that "given the location and chronology," the Riesco could "probably" be a source of the pollution. Despite these observations, a direct link between the sunken tankers and the satellite-detected traces has not been definitively established. The available data is not sufficient to confirm the origin of the slicks, leaving some uncertainty. While the evidence points to a possible connection, the absence of additional proof means that the source of the hydrocarbon traces remains unconfirmed.