The scenes in Tehran on Sunday was nothing short of an apocalypse — thick black clouds of smoke, blazing flames on horizon, and gasoline pipelines exploding — push the US-Iran conflict into a ‘dangerous phase’.
The Iranian capital woke up to a ‘dark’ morning as thick black smoke billowed from oil depots burning after Israeli attacks on oil storage facilities.
The fire erupted after Israeli strikes targeted the Aghdasieh oil warehouse in northeast Tehran, the Shahran oil depot in the west of the capital and an oil depot in the Karaj city. The Israeli military confirmed the strike saying it struck “fuel storage facilities in Tehran” that claimed “to operate military infrastructure”.
Visuals on the social media showed towering flames in the sky over Tehran. The residents said the resulting smoke from the fire blocked the sunlight, leaving the city in darkness on Sunday morning.
The smoke spread across the sprawling city, home to over 10 million people. The residents had to switch on their lights to see through the fumes.
A video posted by a CNN journalist showed thick smoke emanating from what appeared to be brunt ruins of the oil depot in the background. However, HT couldn’t independently verify the video footage.
Apocalyptic scenes, oily rain
The strikes on the fuel depots was the first attack on the country’s oil infrastructure during the nine days of the fighting. Tehran’s governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian has said that fuel distribution in the Iranian capital has been “temporarily interrupted”.
According to an AFP report, the flames from burning fuel flared up for more than 12 hours after the strikes.
Another video showed the sky shrouded in thick black smoke, blocking the sun, leaving the city under dusk. Several residents said that the rain over the city was “black and oily” even as the government warned of acid rain.
On the streets in Tehran, security forces directed traffic wearing special coats and masks to protect themselves.
A video has also emerged showing the side streets erupted in blaze as gasoline pipelines exploded on Shahran Boulevard in Tehran. The windows of nearby buildings were blown out by the force of the explosions. However, HT couldn’t independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Meanwhile, the authorities have warned that the toxic fumes can cause breathing problems and irritate eyes and urged the residents to stay indoors.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that “significant quantities of toxic hydrocarbons, sulfur and nitrogen oxides” were released into the air.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei condemned the US-Israeli strikes on oil facilities in Iran, saying it pushed the war into a “dangerous phase.”
“These attacks on fuel storage facilities amount to nothing less than intentional chemical warfare against the Iranian citizens,” Baqaei said in a social media post.
