Tehran Oil Depot Strikes Darken Capital With Smoke And Fear

Published: 09 March 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

The Tehran oil depot strikes have left residents describing scenes of darkness, smoke, and fear. Overnight air raids hit several oil storage facilities near Tehran, sending flames high above the skyline. By Sunday morning, thick black smoke hung heavily over the capital of Iran.

Residents awoke to streets covered in soot and a sky almost completely hidden by smoke. Many people switched on lights indoors because daylight barely reached through the thick haze. The air carried a sharp chemical smell that residents said burned their lungs and eyes.

Several facilities were struck during the overnight attacks, including four oil depots and a logistics centre. Authorities reported casualties at one location, saying at least six people were killed and twenty others wounded. Emergency crews struggled through smoke-filled streets as fires burned throughout the night.

Videos filmed by citizen journalists showed towering flames lighting the sky above southern Tehran. Smoke clouds continued rising from storage tanks hours after the explosions ended. Rain later fell across the city, raising fears that contaminated droplets could harm people and animals.

Officials warned residents that toxic chemicals might mix with rainwater and produce acidic rainfall. The warning quickly spread through television broadcasts and messaging platforms across the country. Many families sealed windows, turned off ventilation systems, and avoided stepping outside.

The humanitarian organisation Iranian Red Crescent Society advised people to remain indoors where possible. Authorities warned that polluted air could irritate skin and lungs after exposure to rainfall. Officials also urged residents to cover exposed food and avoid using air conditioning systems temporarily.

Medical experts warned that smoke from burning petroleum could contain dangerous particles and chemicals. These pollutants may worsen respiratory diseases, heart conditions, and long-term health complications. Some specialists even warned that prolonged exposure might increase the risk of certain cancers.

Among those describing the aftermath was Negin, an activist speaking anonymously from eastern Tehran. She described the environment outside her home as frightening and nearly impossible to describe clearly. Smoke, she said, spread across the entire city and made breathing extremely difficult.

Her eyes burned constantly while her throat felt painfully dry after inhaling polluted air. She explained that many neighbours felt similar symptoms throughout the morning after the attacks. Despite the danger, people still needed to leave homes for food and essential supplies.

Negin attempted to purchase protective masks and inhalers at local pharmacies near her neighbourhood. She discovered that supplies were already becoming scarce across several parts of the capital. Some shops closed temporarily because employees could not safely remain outdoors during the heavy smoke.

Prices for medical items also rose sharply after the attacks shook the city overnight. Negin said she paid nearly nine hundred thousand tomans for a basic inhaler. For many residents already struggling economically, such prices created additional stress and anxiety.

She argued that ordinary citizens should not suffer because of political conflicts beyond their control. According to her, the attacks risk damaging water systems, refineries, and infrastructure essential for daily life. If pollution spreads to reservoirs, she warned, millions of people could face long-term consequences.

Negin also described growing shortages of everyday goods across neighbourhood markets and petrol stations. Fuel distribution quickly became limited as authorities introduced rationing to manage supply. Some residents reported receiving only small quantities of petrol after waiting hours in queues.

For people who depend on daily work to survive, the disruptions brought immediate financial pressure. Many businesses closed temporarily because employees feared exposure to contaminated air outside. Families already coping with inflation now faced rising prices for food, medicine, and fuel.

Another resident speaking anonymously described the emotional atmosphere across the city after the attacks. Mehdi, a forty-two-year-old restaurant owner, lives in western Tehran with his family. He compared the fear surrounding toxic air to the uncertainty people experienced during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mehdi said residents were afraid even to touch soot covering balconies, windows, and parked vehicles. The black residue spread across neighbourhood streets after drifting down from the burning oil facilities. Many people avoided cleaning surfaces because they feared contact with hazardous chemicals.

His eyes burned throughout the morning, forcing him to remain indoors for several hours. Looking outside, he noticed many residents still walking through the smoky streets without protective masks. He admitted feeling less brave than those continuing daily routines despite the contaminated atmosphere.

A strange chemical smell lingered throughout the neighbourhood long after the explosions stopped. Mehdi worried about serving food in his restaurant while pollution continued affecting water and air. Until he knew the environment was safe, he decided to close his business temporarily.

He also expressed frustration with political leaders and foreign powers involved in the conflict. According to Mehdi, ordinary citizens often feel abandoned during crises created by international tensions. Despite anger and uncertainty, he emphasised that neighbours were helping each other whenever possible.

Another resident, Mehnaz, experienced the terrifying moments during the strikes while trying to flee. She lives in southern districts of the capital near several industrial facilities and transport routes. When explosions began Saturday evening, she and her husband hurried to pack essentials into their car.

Believing the attacks might intensify before dawn, they attempted to leave the city quickly. As they drove through dark streets, bright flames suddenly appeared above the skyline nearby. The fire was coming from the Shahr-e Rey oil depot, which had just been struck.

Because the government imposed an internet shutdown during the crisis, information was limited. Mehnaz said she could not confirm what locations had been targeted or which areas were safe. Without reliable updates, many residents made decisions based only on rumours or distant explosions.

Traffic quickly built across roads leading out of the capital as frightened residents attempted to leave. Smoke filled highways and neighbourhood streets, making it difficult for drivers to see clearly. Even with car windows closed, polluted air slowly seeped inside vehicles.

Eventually Mehnaz decided it was safer to return home temporarily rather than continue driving blindly. Around midnight she sent messages describing the city as burning beneath thick clouds of smoke. Flames illuminated the skyline while darkness spread across streets below.

By Sunday morning the Tehran oil depot strikes continued dominating conversations across households and workplaces. Many residents debated whether leaving the capital was safer than remaining indoors. The situation remained uncertain because fires were still burning near the damaged depots.

Later that morning Mehnaz chose to leave the city again and travel toward her parents’ home. She departed around midday and joined long lines of vehicles moving slowly outwards. Petrol stations along the route rationed fuel carefully because supplies were rapidly decreasing.

Even as she drove away, the Rey depot still burned intensely in the distance. At night the fire made the sky glow brightly above the industrial district. Yet during daytime the smoke turned the sky unusually dark across the surrounding areas.

She described the eerie contrast between bright flames and an almost black daytime sky overhead. According to her, the scene resembled a new moon night despite being broad daylight. The darkness reflected her fears about what the future might hold for residents.

While leaving the city she noticed something else that felt strangely unsettling to her. Not a single bird flew above the roads or buildings as smoke drifted across neighbourhoods. She interpreted the absence of birds as a sign of how severe conditions had become.

The Tehran oil depot strikes therefore left more than physical damage across parts of the capital. They created a psychological shock that many residents said would remain long after fires disappear. People described feeling uncertain about safety, health, and economic stability.

Environmental concerns also continue worrying residents and health specialists across the wider region. Burning petroleum releases fine particles that can travel long distances through atmospheric currents. Experts warn that prolonged smoke exposure may affect neighbouring provinces beyond Tehran itself.

International observers are monitoring the Tehran oil depot strikes closely as tensions rise regionally. The strikes have been widely linked to military operations involving Israel, although official responses remain cautious. Governments and analysts warn that further escalation could increase instability across the Middle East.

For now, ordinary residents remain focused on immediate concerns inside their city. Families continue monitoring air quality while hoping the fires will soon be contained. Many residents say they simply want clean air, safe water, and peace returning to their daily lives.

Yet uncertainty continues hanging over the capital like the smoke still drifting across its skyline. The Tehran oil depot strikes have left a powerful reminder of how quickly conflict can transform everyday life. For millions of residents, recovery may take far longer than the fires themselves.

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