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Black ‘Toxic’ Rain Falls On Tehran After Air Strikes Hit Oil Sites

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2026/03/08/black-toxic-rain-falls-on-tehran-after-air-strikes-hit-oil-refineries/


Zachary Folk, Mar 08, 2026, 11:39am EDT


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Black clouds gathered over Tehran and rain saturated with what appeared to be oil fell on the city after Israeli air strikes hit oil refineries and infrastructure overnight—one day before Iran’s Assembly of Experts told state media it came to a consensus to pick a new supreme leader.



In a pair of statements on Telegram, Iran’s Red Crescent Society warned the rain in Tehran could be contaminated with “toxic hydrocarbon compounds,” as well as “sulfur and nitrogen oxides”—which cause acid rain with the potential to cause chemical burns and lung damage.

The clouds formed after Israel targeted an oil storage facility in Tehran in late-night strikes on Saturday, the Associated Press reported, as the war takes a significant toll on the oil industry across the Middle East and threatens to raise oil prices even higher.

The medical society warned people in Tehran to shelter indoors and cover any openings with damp pieces of cloth, and remove any clothes contaminated by the rain water and seal them in a bag.

After the rainfall, the Red Crescent also recommended people in Tehran pressure wash their vehicles and exteriors of their homes to prevent buildup that can then flow back into the air as “toxic dust.”

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