Thick black clouds and oil‑saturated rain are shrouding Iran’s capital this morning after major airstrikes hit refineries and storage sites south and west of the city. CNN’s Fred Pleitgen reports. CNN operates in Iran only with government permission. pic.twitter.com/Cv0EEHDwom
— CNN (@CNN) March 8, 2026
The rainfall followed hours of heavy smoke drifting across the Iranian capital – a city of nearly ten million. People in several neighbourhoods said the air smelled of fuel and chemicals, as reported by TIME.
Fires after strikes on fuel depotsThe fires began late Saturday night. Israeli forces later said they had carried out strikes targeting fuel storage sites linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The military said the facilities were used to distribute fuel to military units.
????STRUCK: Several Fuel Storage Complexes Belonging to the IRGC in Tehran
Guided by IDF intelligence, the IAF struck these complexes, where the Iranian terrorist regime would distribute fuel to multiple military entities in Iran.The strike significantly deepens the damage to… pic.twitter.com/T1csYf4PCp— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 7, 2026
Several locations were hit. Among them were the Aghdasieh oil warehouse in northeast Tehran, the Shahran oil depot north of the city, an oil refinery in southern Tehran, and a fuel depot in Karaj, west of the capital.
⚡️Black clouds over the city of Karaj in Iran after US and Israeli strikes on fuel depots — media reports. ????????????????????????#Iran #Dear ones #US #Israel #Airstrike #FuelStorage #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/zPKlqWJIRZ
— RusWar (@ruswar) March 8, 2026
Satellite images and videos circulating online showed thick columns of black smoke rising from the affected sites. Some of the fires burned for hours, sending soot and chemical residue high into the air.
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. People on the ground describe it as armageddon.
History will not forgive Reza Pahlavi, Masih Alinejad, Nazanin Boniadi, and all other… pic.twitter.com/Sy3LhtaDEK— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) March 8, 2026
What is ‘black rain’?
When that smoke mixes with clouds, rain carry particles back to the ground. The result is often called black rain – precipitation darkened by soot, ash, or chemical residue.
The term became widely known after the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when radioactive soot and debris from the explosions mixed with rain clouds and fell back as thick, dark droplets. That fallout contaminated water sources, soil, and buildings.
In Tehran’s case, the rainfall is not linked to nuclear material. But it can still be hazardous.
Iran’s Red Crescent Society warned residents via Telegram that rain falling after the strikes could be acidic or chemically contaminated, with possible risks to the skin and lungs.
Could it spread beyond Tehran?
Weather conditions will determine how far the polluted rainfall travels. Strong winds can push smoke clouds away from the original fire sites before rain brings the particles down.
The toxic cloud and oil-contaminated “black rain” over #Tehran is expected to drift northeast with prevailing winds, potentially spreading pollution toward Central Asia and eventually western China.
The contamination is the direct result of Israeli strikes on Iranian oil storage pic.twitter.com/nNrVXuLKM9— Mina (@Mina696645851) March 9, 2026
Surrounding regions could see traces of soot in rainfall if the smoke plume drifts outward. The extent of contamination, however, usually decreases with distance.
Residents in Tehran and nearby areas are urged to avoid exposure to the rainfall and limit outdoor activity while the smoke continues to affect the region.
