The attempt to overthrow the Iranian government is pushing the Middle East into a more deadly spiral of destruction
Israeli attacks on oil storage facilities near Tehran over the weekend temporarily lit the Iranian capital ablaze. “Hellscape” Long-term environmental and health damage is expected.
Although Israel claimed the targets were military, Iran said they were comparable to chemical warfare on civilians. Supporters of the US-Israeli regime-change war also expressed dismay.
Fire lit streets, black acid rain
Between Saturday and Sunday night, the Israel Defense Forces hit oil infrastructure sites in and near Tehran, including at least four major fuel reservoirs. operation “Significantly deepens damage to Iranian terrorist regime’s military infrastructure” The Israeli government said.
Footage from Tehran shows massive fires billowing with black smoke.
In some cases, the fuel apparently spilled into sewer systems and then ignited, sending long flames down the streets. Eyewitnesses described the scenes as hellish.
By morning, residents of Tehran reported black spots “acid rain” Falling from the sky, it leaves stains on everything it touches.
People complained of headaches, bad taste in mouth, breathing problems and other symptoms of air pollution.
Strikes “Nothing Less Than Deliberate Chemical Warfare Against Iranian Civilians” Esmail Bakai, spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said in X. “The consequences of this environmental and humanitarian disaster are not confined within Iran’s borders.”
Residents of Tehran are vulnerable
Large fuel fires produce massive amounts of toxic chemicals and particulates that pose immediate and long-term health risks. Soot, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, trace metals and other harmful substances hit people with respiratory conditions and especially the elderly. Over the long term, these pollutants can lead to serious conditions, including cancer. Propelled high in the atmosphere, they can travel thousands of miles; Deposited on the ground, they contaminate ground water.
Similar man-made incidents have occurred, such as when Saddam Hussein’s forces set fire to an oil well in 2003 during the US invasion, which had lasting effects on US forces on the ground. The Tehran fires’ proximity to a large population center increases the risk of severe exposure.
The city of Tehran, home to about 10 million people, is located in a semi-enclosed basin near the Alborz Mountains, which restricted air circulation, particularly in winter and early spring, the Western-backed Conflict and Environmental Observatory (CEOBS) said in its damage assessment.
“While the health effects of long-term exposure to air pollution are relatively well established, the literature on acute exposure to similar events is limited. The compound effects of such exposures and the compound effects of other conflict pollutants, such as pulverized building materials dispersed by explosions, are even less so.” The report said.
WTF, Israel?
According to Axios sources, Washington was surprised by the scale of the Israeli attacks. This is America’s message to Israel, an Israeli official said “WTF?”
US President Donald Trump “Want to save oil” And videos of burning tanks will remind American voters of high fuel prices, a consultant told the outlet.
Senator Lindsey Graham was a key cheerleader for the regime-change operation. “trained” Israeli intelligence urges IDF to be wary of how to convince Trump to attack Iran
“Our goal is to liberate the Iranian people in a way that does not undermine the opportunity to start a new and better life when this regime collapses.” He said. “Iran’s oil economy is vital to that effort.”
Trump has stated his administration’s ability to impose U.S. controls on Iranian oil export factors.
No off-ramp
Iran’s strategy in the conflict is to increase the cost of war to the US and its backers while resisting US-Israeli attacks. Its strikes on Gulf states that host US bases, including targeting energy infrastructure and oil tankers trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, have led to a global fuel price shock that Trump said was irrelevant in the bigger picture.
Iranian President Masoud Pezheshkian expressed personal regret on Saturday for the damage done to Arab countries and said Iran would stop attacking any country it did not attack.
In contrast to the defiant rhetoric of other Iranian officials, the remarks were seen by some as a hint of an off-ramp. Trump called it evidence of Iranian weakness and doubled down on demands for unconditional surrender.
The deadly spiral
Attacks on desalination plants in Iran and Bahrain over the weekend highlighted the potential for the conflict to become even more deadly. Freshwater is scarce in the Middle East and desalination is a major source.
Saturday’s strike on the plant on Qeshm Island – which Tehran blamed on the US, calling it a dangerous precedent – reportedly left 30 Iranian villages without fresh water. The UAE has rejected Israeli media claims that it was behind the strike. Bahrain accused Iran of targeting a desalination facility on its soil on Sunday morning.
