Black rain over Tehran: Why oil is falling from the sky after massive Israeli airstrikes on Iran

Iran’s capital city of Tehran woke up to oil-saturated rain with thick black clouds and fumes on Sunday.

A major airstrike aimed at Iran’s oil refineries and facilities was carried out by Israeli air forces, according to a CNN report. Oil installations towards the South and West of the city were primarily targeted. An oil-filled rain with black residue was reported all over the city. The city’s governor has urged all residents to wear masks following the polluted air situation.

Four oil storage facilities and oil production transfer centres in Tehran and Alborz were reported to be hit by the strikes carried out by the Israeli military on Saturday, as per the Iranian news agency FARS. Four tanker drivers who were present at the centre during the attack were also reported to be killed.

It is raining oil in Tehran this morning after major airstrikes on oil facilities in the South and West of the Iranian capital. @CNN @cnni pic.twitter.com/2FBD9EnO9p — Frederik Pleitgen (@fpleitgenCNN) March 8, 2026

It is raining oil in Tehran this morning after major airstrikes on oil facilities in the South and West of the Iranian capital. @CNN @cnni pic.twitter.com/2FBD9EnO9p

— Frederik Pleitgen (@fpleitgenCNN) March 8, 2026

Attack on desalination plant in Bahrain

On the ninth day of the Israel-US and Iran conflict, Iran targeted the Bahrain desalination plant with ‘material damages’, according to reports. Drones and missiles targeted Bahrain from the beginning, as it was home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, but it was the first time Iran allegedly targeted a desalination plant.

This comes after the US targeted Qeshm Island, which houses an Iranian desalination plant. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said that the attack on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz had disrupted the water supply for nearly 30 villages and warned that “the US set this precedent, not Iran”, according to an AP report.

Israel strikes Lebanon

With 12 more deaths reported Sunday, the death toll zoomed to over 300, following the Israeli strikes. Targeting the Iranian forces in southern Lebanon, Israeli forces struck the city after their ceasefire in November 2024.

What’s happening in the Middle East

The tensions between the countries began on February 28, 2026, with the joint attack launched by the US and Israel targeting Iran’s nuclear, military, and leadership sites. Iran retaliated by targeting US and Israeli embassies and American military bases located across the Middle Eastern countries. The continuous strikes have impacted the global economy and oil prices. With the Strait of Hormuz shut, following the disruptions caused by the constant siege, the oil prices have risen to an all-time high since the Covid pandemic.

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