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As conflict escalates in the Middle East, global attention is focused on the human toll of war. But strikes on oil tankers in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz also threaten ecosystems that are already buckling under pressure, creating a heightened risk of fuel leaks near pristine coral reefs in the Gulf. Further afield, there have been reports of dying birds littering the shores of the Black Sea, owing to leaks from oil-storage tanks damaged in the ongoing Russia’s war on Ukraine (see go.nature.com/4uangzs).

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Nature 651, 1124 (2026)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00942-w

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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