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Residents of Tehran have been warned to stay indoors to avoid potential exposure to acidic rain after Israel attacked major fuel-storage facilities in Iran’s capital.
The strikes have caused not only petrol shortages but hazardous pollution as massive plumes of smoke spread across various parts of the city on Sunday, enveloping it in darkness.
Iran’s Red Crescent Society warned that rainfall in Tehran, home to about 10mn people, could be “highly dangerous and acidic” and issued guidelines for residents in case they were exposed.
Iran’s meteorological organisation said the darkness currently hanging over Tehran was caused by a combination of smoke and cloud cover. It added that there would be no wind in the capital on Sunday, though winds forecast for Monday morning could help begin clearing the smoke.
“White cars have oil on their ceilings — I can see it from the window of my home,” said one resident in western Tehran who, like others interviewed, was not named for their safety.
Massive plumes of smoke were seen rising from north-eastern, southern and western parts of Tehran late on Saturday after Israel targeted three fuel depots in the capital and another in the nearby city of Karaj, west of Tehran.
It appeared to be one of the most significant strikes on civilian industrial facilities in the war, which began on Saturday last week.
The strikes have raised concerns that other non-military facilities could be attacked. Bahrain said on Sunday that an Iranian drone strike had damaged a water desalination plant, a day after Tehran said a water desalination plant of its own had been targeted.
The facilities hit were located close to residential neighbourhoods and videos circulating on social media showed flames spreading towards nearby streets. There were no immediate reports of residential areas catching fire as a result.
Another resident said petrol stations near their home in central Tehran had shut down because they had run out of fuel.
Iran’s Petrol Association said residents of Tehran and neighbouring Alborz Province would not face fuel shortages but urged only those with “real needs” to go to petrol stations.
The National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company said there was no fuel shortage nationwide and that the situation in the capital would soon be brought under control. Authorities said drivers would be limited to a maximum purchase of 20 litres of petrol.
Unlike during Israel’s previous war with Iran in June, many Tehran residents have chosen to remain in their homes rather than leave for safer areas in northern Iran, citing the cold and high cost of relocating.
However, sustained heavy bombardment is increasingly disrupting daily life. Although the US and Israel say they target only officials and military sites in the capital, those facilities are often located within or near residential neighbourhoods.
Government officials live among civilians, and police stations and bases of the Revolutionary Guards are embedded within populated areas. “It’s totally getting out of control,” said one Tehran resident.