Thick black smoke from oil depots struck in recent air raids hung over Tehran on Sunday, plunging parts of the city into an eerie daytime darkness and forcing residents to use lights. Officials said four depots and a petroleum logistics site were hit; local authorities reported six dead and 20 wounded at one site, figures that AFP could not independently verify. Authorities warned of toxic fumes, temporarily limited fuel distribution to 20 litres per vehicle, and long queues formed at petrol stations.
Tehran Plunges Into Daytime Darkness As Smoke From Struck Oil Depots Blots Out The Sun
Fire lights up the sky in Tehran as Iranian oil refineries are hit during the US-Israeli campaign (ATTA KENARE)(ATTA KENARE/AFP/AFP)
Residents across Tehran woke on Sunday to an unsettling daytime darkness after thick black smoke from oil depots struck in recent air raids hung over the city and obscured the sun. Many people switched on lights at home and in vehicles to cope with the unexpected gloom.
"I thought my alarm clock was broken," a driver in his 50s told AFP on condition of anonymity.
By 10:30am local time (07:00 GMT), headlights were still needed on Valiasr Street, the main north–south artery, as traffic moved through a heavy, smoky haze. Plumes from the burning fuel depots mixed with low grey rain clouds, intensifying the murky conditions above the sprawling metropolis of more than 10 million people.
Local officials said four oil depots and a petroleum logistics site in and around Tehran were hit. Israel's military confirmed it had struck "fuel storage facilities in Tehran," saying they were being used "to operate military infrastructure." Authorities reported six people killed and 20 wounded at one site; AFP could not independently verify these figures.
These strikes are the first direct attacks on Iranian oil infrastructure during the current nine-day conflict, which local and international reporting says escalated after strikes last weekend reportedly carried out by the United States and Israel.
Toxic Fumes And Damage
Security forces directing traffic were seen wearing protective coats and masks amid warnings about hazardous air quality. Officials cautioned residents that noxious fumes could cause breathing difficulties and eye irritation and urged people to remain indoors where possible.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said the fires released "significant quantities of toxic hydrocarbons, sulfur and nitrogen oxides" into the atmosphere. Explosions were reported to have been strong enough to blow out windows of nearby buildings, and residents several dozen kilometres away found balconies and surfaces coated with a mix of rain and fuel residues.
Reporters at one depot observed oil still smouldering on Sunday, with flames flaring and crackling more than 12 hours after the strikes. Israel previously targeted fuel depots in Tehran during the 12-day conflict last June.
Fuel Shortages And Disruption
Tehran's governor, Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian, said fuel distribution in the capital had been "temporarily interrupted" and that officials were working to resolve the problem. Authorities limited each vehicle to 20 litres of fuel for the time being, prompting long queues at petrol stations; AFP counted roughly 40 cars waiting at one station.
Sunday was the first working day after a week-long holiday that had been declared earlier following recent strikes. In the immediate aftermath of the latest escalation the city briefly resembled a ghost town, though by Sunday more pedestrians and vehicles were venturing onto the streets. The United Nations estimated that about 100,000 people had fled the capital since the new fighting began.
About half of Tehran's shops were reported open on Sunday despite the continuing darkness and smoky conditions.
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