Concerns have been raised over the disruption to fuel supplies and the impact of air pollution as thick plumes of black smoke shroud the skies above Iran's Tehran and the neighboring Alborz province, following strikes launched by the United States and Israel on multiple oil depots late on Saturday night.
Tehran's governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian said Sunday that U.S.-Israeli oil depot attacks had affected some procedures related to fuel supply, and that Minister of Petroleum Mohsen Paknejad is currently carrying out crisis management work.
The governor said that full restoration of the fuel supply network in the capital may take a few days, urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel and visits to gas stations unless essential.
Meanwhile, authorities in Tehran are also extremely worried about the environmental impact of such explosions. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that pollutants have been released into the air, while the skies over much of downtown Tehran are also dark with thick smoke as a result of the recent attacks.
Sepehr Saremi, a correspondent from the China Global Television Network (CGTN), said that U.S. and Israeli forces had started targeting oil depots and energy infrastructure for the first time across Tehran, noting that one oil depot was also hit in the nearby Alborz province.
Reporting from the scene of one of the attacks on Sunday, he said there are increasing concerns over ensuring a vital oil and fuel supply to the more than 10 million residents of Tehran as well as the worsening environmental effects as thick, acrid smoke fills the air.
"Now I have come here, exactly in front of one of the oil depots in the west of Tehran, in a neighborhood called Shahran district. The damage done here was extensive. And now firefighters, after more than 12 hours, are still trying to extinguish the fire. Cars in this vicinity have also been impacted, as so many cars -- even like the one behind me -- have been completely destroyed. And also the smoke being created here is so massive that the entire city is now dark," said Saremi, as he wore a scarf to protect himself from the fumes.
Fears over fuel supplies, pollution as smoke shrouds skies after attacks on Iranian oil depots
Fears over fuel supplies, pollution as smoke shrouds skies after attacks on Iranian oil depots
