In what was described as a “major escalation” of an attack already denounced as an illegal war of choice, the US-Israeli military coalition bombed major oil depots and other fossil fuel infrastructure in and around Tehran on Saturday, unleashing huge fireballs, turning streets to fire, and sending plumes of black smoke into the night sky.
And on Sunday morning, in the wake of the infernos unleashed the night before, the people of Iran’s capital woke up to the hideous sight of ominous gray clouds above, choking levels of smoke and black raindrops full of toxic oil falling across the city.
“Scenes from Tehran look apocalyptic,” said Assal Rad, a fellow at the Arab Center in Washington, DC, sharing footage of Saturday’s massive fire storm.
Separate footage showed the Aqdasiyeh Oil Depot in flames with Iranian first responders trying to create a perimeter around the inferno:
“Iran is being destroyed,” declared British journalist Owen Jones.
In the wake of last week’s attack, ordered by US President Donald Trump and carried out in conjunction with Israeli forces, the price of crude futures jumped by 35%, which CNBC characterized as “the biggest weekly gain in the history of the futures contract dating back to 1983.”
“Your tax dollars being used to raise your gas prices,” Abdul El-Sayed, a Michigan Democrat running for the US Senate, said in reaction to dramatic footage of the explosions circulating online.
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On Friday, Qatar’s energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi, told The Financial Times that crude prices could reach $150 per barrel in the coming weeks if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed to tanker traffic. Kaabi warned this could “bring down the economies of the world,” though Trump has said he is not worried about gas prices, saying Thursday: “If they rise, they rise.”
Graphic and chart: American Automobile Association
Meanwhile, others on Saturday shared video of a city streets of Tehran blazing with fire as oil from a destroyed depot flowed into sidewalks and sewer tunnels.
“I don’t know how many times I can say this but my god,” said Iranian political commentator Kev Joon in a social media post, describing what he was seeing as “apocalyptic,” unprecedented, and intentionally cruel.
“I have never seen something like this,” he added. “These are gutters and streams that run the sides of streets on almost every street and alley in Tehran. They are destroying a city in ways we haven’t witnessed before.”
According to the New York Times:
Iran’s Ministry of Oil said in a statement that multiple oil storage depots in the provinces of Tehran and Alborz had been targeted.
The Israeli military confirmed in a statement that it had attacked several fuel storage and energy complexes in Tehran, saying the facilities were being used by Iran’s armed forces. Israel’s military called it a “significant strike” aimed at dismantling the military infrastructure of the government.
“What is happening tonight is that US and Israel are targeting oil depots and desalination plants,” said Joon. “These aren’t military targets. They’re the infrastructure of everyday life. This isn’t a liberatory war. It’s an attempt to break the backs of Iranian people.”
Critics described “scenes of Armageddon” and characterized the bombings and the destruction they triggered as the latest crimes committed by the US and Israel following the launch of an unprovoked and illegal assault on the Middle East nation last week.
Iranian officials urged residents to stay indoors to avoid the health impacts of the air quality.
“On top of everything else, Israel and the US have unleashed an environmental disaster in Tehran,” said Rad of the Arab Center. “How many ways can they show you they have no regard for human life?”
Iran’s Red Crescent Society warned that the toxic rainfall in Tehran, home to approximately 10 million people, could be “highly dangerous and acidic” and issued exposure guidelines for residents.
Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foriegn Ministry, condemned the attacks and resulting damage in stark terms.
“The US-Israeli criminal war against the Iranian nation has entered a dangerous new phase with deliberate strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure,” said Bagaei in an online statement. “These attacks on fuel storage facilities amount to nothing less than intentional chemical warfare against the Iranian citizens.”
“By targeting fuel depots, the aggressors are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air, poisoning civilians, devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale,” he continued. “The consequences of this environmental and humanitarian catastrophe will not be confined within Iran’s borders. These strikes constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide – all at once.”
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“Though it is day, the sun cannot be seen in Tehran today because of all the smoke following the US and Israel bombing Tehran’s oil refineries,” said Trita Parsi, executive vice president for the Quincy Institute, a US-based foreign policy think tank.
Parsi, who is of Iranian descent, also took aim at members of the Iranian diaspora who for weeks and months have pushed for the US and Israeli governments to attack their own country.
“History,” he said, “will not forgive Reza Pahlavi, Masih Alinejad, Nazanin Boniadi and all other ‘leaders’ who tricked Iranians into thinking this war would set them free.”
This article is republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons license.
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