US-Israeli strikes on Iran's oil and gas could poison people and environment for decades Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Fri, 03/27/2026 - 14:15 Experts say pollution from escalating attacks on industrial and energy infrastructure poses deadly long-term implications for civilian health Members of Iran's Red Crescent society stand near smoke plumes from an ongoing fire following an overnight airstrike on the Shahran oil refinery in northwestern Tehran on 8 March 2026 (AFP) Off On the night of 7 March, air strikes hit four oil depots and refineries in and around Tehran.  The resulting petrochemical fires burned for days, spewing columns of thick smoke which shrouded the skies of Iran's capital and poisoned its air. Residents described the fires as “hellscapes” and a “black monster”. Israel's military claimed responsibility for targeting fuel tanks in Tehran, while the US has denied involvement in the attack. Hours later, acid rain drops, black with oil, showered the city. Streets, cars, buildings and clotheslines were coated with a tarry substance for days after the strikes. The Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS), a UK non-profit that assesses the environmental and humanitarian impacts of war, told Middle East Eye that the oily fires burned for five days. This left Tehran's residents - approximately nine million of them - to inhale chemicals that hung in the air, with only fabric face masks as a defence. A month into the Israeli-US war on Iran, CEOBS has warned that the environmental and public health costs in the country and the wider region are mounting. The observatory said that pollution from escalating attacks on industrial, energy and military targets in densely populated urban areas poses the greatest threat to public health and the environment. On 19 March, Israel's strike on Iran's South Pars gas field, and a retaliatory attack by Iran on Qatar's Ras Laffan, marked the first time facilities connected directly to the pro