Black clouds over Tehran rain down oil drops after Israel strikes oil facilities

The sky over Iran’s capital was blanketed with thick, choking smoke Sunday morning, hours after Israeli strikes hit oil facilities in Tehran. Residents reported the smell of burning lingering in the air, with many saying it appeared dark even as the sun rose and rain poured on the city. Some residents reported oil-saturated raindrops from black clouds raining down on the city hours after the strikes.

Iran’s environmental authorities urged Iranians to remain indoors to avoid respiratory problems and other health consequences. The Iranian Red Crescent said the oil depot explosions released into the air “significant quantities of toxic hydrocarbon compounds, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides.” “In the event of precipitation, the resulting rain is extremely dangerous and highly acidic,” it added in a statement, warning of skin burns and severe lung damage.

Fars news agency reported that Saturday’s strikes hit four oil storage facilities and an oil production transfer center in Tehran and Alborz. Four tanker drivers in the center were killed, Fars reported. The strikes sent up pillars of fire that could be seen in videos as a glow against the Saturday night sky. It appeared to be the first time a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war. With the sun blotted out Sunday morning, disoriented people in the Iranian capital had to turn on their lights to see through the gloom. “I thought my alarm clock was broken,” a driver in his 50s told AFP on condition of anonymity. (Read More)