Tehran in flames: Black smoke, burning streets after oil depots hit in strikes

Apocalyptic scenes unfolded across Iran’s capital overnight as massive fires, towering smoke plumes and streets engulfed in flames followed fresh United States-Israeli strikes on oil storage facilities. Videos from Tehran and eyewitness accounts captured the scenes of smoke and fire.

Footage showed flames spilling into city streets and giant fireballs lighting up the skyline after several fuel depots were hit.

Thick black smoke billowed across the capital, with residents describing skies turning red and entire neighbourhoods illuminated by blazing infernos.

According to a report by Al Jazeera, huge fireballs and dense plumes of smoke rose above Tehran after strikes targeted key fuel infrastructure. Iranian authorities said the attacks hit four oil storage facilities and an oil transfer and production centre in Tehran and neighbouring Alborz province, triggering large fires that continued burning for hours.

The facilities reportedly struck include the Aghdasieh oil warehouse in northeast Tehran, the Shahran oil depot in the west, the Tehran refinery in the south, and another oil depot in Karaj, Iranian news agencies reported, as cited by Al Jazeera.

Some of the most dramatic visuals came from the Shahran oil depot, where oil reportedly leaked onto nearby roads after the strike. Videos showed flames flowing through streets while residents watched in shock.

Witnesses described the explosions as so intense that the night sky briefly looked like daylight.

“It was as if night had turned into day,” one Tehran resident told the BBC, describing the moment explosions lit up the city.

Another resident from Karaj told the BBC the attack began with a flash that illuminated the sky, followed by a powerful shockwave. “It started with a red light that lit up everything followed by a wave that jolted the door. Then the sky was lit again and a huge red cloud appeared,” the man said, adding that he later saw a nearby oil depot engulfed in flames.

Residents also described the aftermath as the city woke up under a blanket of smoke.

“A dark haze hung over the city as Sunday morning broke and a smell of burning lingered in the air,” Al Jazeera reported, citing witnesses who said the fires produced thick clouds of smoke visible across large parts of the capital.

One woman in Tehran told the BBC that the air was filled with the smell of burning fuel and that smoke had obscured the sun. “You can smell the burning. I can’t see the sun. There is a horrible smoke,” she said.

Video footage from Tehran showed flames erupting across multiple locations, with large columns of smoke mushrooming into the sky. Iranian authorities said they were monitoring air quality and urged residents to stay indoors due to concerns about toxic fumes released by the fires.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the strikes were releasing hazardous materials into the air and “endangering lives on a massive scale”, the BBC reported.

Iran’s oil distribution company said at least four employees were killed in the attacks, according to Al Jazeera.

The strikes are part of the escalating conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel, which has now entered its second week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue its campaign against Iran’s leadership, while US President Donald Trump defended the strikes by saying Tehran posed an imminent threat due to its nuclear programme.

According to Iranian officials cited in reports, more than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict began.

But for residents of Tehran and nearby cities, the night’s strikes left behind haunting images — streets ablaze, skies glowing red and thick smoke clouds hanging over the capital as fires raged through critical fuel depots.

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