U.S.-Israeli strikes hit five oil depots in Tehran and neighboring Alborz province on Saturday night, causing casualties and triggering large plumes of smoke that continued to hang over the Iranian capital.
Visibility remained low in Tehran and the smoke lingered as of 18:00 Sunday, with additional explosions reportedly heard across the city, though the exact locations could not be confirmed.
Local government warned on Sunday morning that pollutants from the damaged facilities had spread into the city.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society warned on the same day that toxic compounds from the burning oil depots could cause dangerous acid rain if precipitation occurs.
Local environmental agency advised that residents should avoid unnecessary outdoor activities and take protective measures.
The attacks had disrupted fuel supplies in Tehran Province, with normal supply expected to be restored within two to three days, the provincial head said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Sunday strongly condemned the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian fuel depots, calling them "war crimes and crimes against humanity" that "amount to nothing less than intentional chemical warfare against Iranian citizens."
"By targeting fuel depots, the aggressors are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air, poisoning civilians, devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale," He added.
"The consequences of this environmental and humanitarian catastrophe will not be confined within Iran's borders," Baghaei warned, adding that the strikes constitute "war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide - all at once."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Iran's armed forces Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned later the day that if attacks on Iranian oil infrastructure continue, Tehran could respond with similar actions in the region and called on regional countries to warn the U.S. and Israel.
According to data released by the Iranian Red Crescent Society on Sunday, since the conflict began, U.S. and Israeli strikes have killed 1,332 people in Iran and damaged 9,669 civilian facilities, including around 7,943 homes and 1,617 commercial buildings.
A spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that Iran has stockpiled heavy missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, various types of drones, and attack vessels, and is capable of sustaining high-intensity combat for at least six months.
He added that Iran would introduce new attack tactics and deploy longer-range, more advanced missiles in the coming days.
Iranian oil depots hit, FM spokesman condemns U.S.-Israeli attacks as "war crimes"
Li Yuhua, a farmer-turned forest ranger from a mountainous village in Dulongjiang Town, southwest China's Yunnan Province, has spent nine years protecting the forests in her hometown while helping local people increasing their incomes.
Li's family was once a registered impoverished household, relying mainly on corn farming for living. Things began to change for her family in 2016 when China launched a policy allowing registered impoverished population to work as ecological forest rangers, and Li became one of the first ecological forest rangers in the town.
"When I first began to work as a forest ranger, it was hard for me even to climb mountains, let alone climb rocks and cross rivers. But I told myself that since the country gave me this opportunity, I must do it well. I worked hard to improve my physical fitness and learn new skills, always actively taking the missions of patrolling mountains," said Li.
As Li often wears a colorful, vibrantly striped "Dulong blanket," a traditional clothing of the Dulong ethnic group, the villagers call her the "rainbow ranger."
"I think the name 'Rainbow Ranger' is beautiful. It makes me feel like a rainbow for us women of Dulong ethnic group guarding our homeland," Li said.
Dulong is a mountain-dwelling ethnic group in southwest China. It is one of the least populous of China's 56 ethnic groups, and the people were known for "direct transition" from primitive life to the modern socialist society at the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
Most Dulong people live in Dulongjiang Town, where an inhospitable mountainous terrain used to thwart the place's development for decades. The town remained to be one of the poorest areas in Yunnan Province and even in the entire country. Thanks to government inputs and the development of industries with local features, the Dulong people have been experiencing remarkable life changes. In 2018, the Dulong ethnic group shook off poverty as a whole.
Beyond safeguarding forests, Li took the lead in developing non-timber forest-based economy in the town, guiding local residents to grow plants like Chinese black cardamom and wild-simulated lingzhi mushrooms as well as raising cattle and bees.
In 2025, the total output value of the town's non-timber forest-based economy reached nearly 30 million yuan (around 4.3 million U.S. dollars), with the annual average income of 43 households increasing by more than 20,000 yuan (around 2,900 U.S. dollars) each.
Li also established a cooperative for Dulong blanket making, attracting more than 170 women to learn traditional weaving techniques. They have developed 12 types of cultural and creative products, including shawls and scarves, and sold them worldwide through livestreaming, generating wealth for themselves.
"In the past, we only wove blankets for our own use. Now she teaches us to make the cultural and creative products and sell them. Last year, I earned more than 4,000 yuan (around 580 U.S. dollars) from weaving. I spent the money on my children's school fees and new appliances for my house," said Mu Jianying, member of the cooperative.
Li's dedication to both forestry and rural revitalization has earned her widespread recognition. In 2024, she was honored as model of ethnic solidarity and progress and received the title certificate from President Xi Jinping. She was also awarded the title of National March 8 Red-Banner Pacesetter, the highest honor presented by the All-China Women's Federation to the country's outstanding women, ahead of the International Women's Day observed on March 8.
Li said her achievements are the result of collective efforts.
"I often think that one person's strength is very limited, but the strength of a group is great. There are 195 ecological forest rangers like me protecting this land in the Dulongjiang Grand Canyon," she said.
As a female forest ranger, Li shared a message for women ahead of the International Women's Day.
"To mark the International Women's Day, I want to say to all my sisters: No matter what position we are in, as long as we are willing to endure hardship and work hard, we will surely weave our own rainbow," she said.
Forest ranger dedicated to guarding green mountains in Yunnan
Forest ranger dedicated to guarding green mountains in Yunnan
