"Within days, oily “black rain” began to fall across Tehran. It came down as dense, dark water that residents said burned their eyes and scratched at their throats.

According to scientists, the rain formed when soot and fine particulate matter from burning oil depots and storage tanks mixed with a storm system moving across the region. What fell was not just dirty rain but a chemical cocktail—a mix of hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, heavy metals, and fine particulates."

Gayle, Damien. “Bombing of Iran’s oil infrastructure to have major environmental fallout, experts warn” The Guardian. 2026