A large oil slick has been detected in the Persian Gulf near Kharg Island, Iran's main crude oil export hub, raising fresh concerns over the condition of the country's oil infrastructure amid mounting regional tensions and shipping disruptions, according to a report by The New York Times.

Satellite imagery reviewed by the newspaper showed the slick spreading off the western coast of Kharg Island, a critical centre of Iran's oil export network. The spill had expanded to more than 20 square miles by Thursday, according to estimates from Orbital EOS, a global oil spill monitoring service cited by the news report.