First Came Inferno, Then Darkness: Tehran 'Blacked Out' After Oil Depots Hit

Residents of Tehran woke up on Sunday expecting daylight. Instead, they found the city still shrouded in darkness.

Thick black smoke from Israeli airstrikes on several fuel depots had spread across the Iranian capital overnight, dimming out the morning sun and leaving streets dark long after sunrise.

Israeli attacks targeted five major fuel storage facilities across Tehran.

Fuel depots in Karaj, Iran, still ablaze since last night. pic.twitter.com/upmo3tlfbf

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 8, 2026

Four people were killed in the strikes, including two tanker drivers, according to the chief executive of Iran's National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company.

Windows of the nearby buildings shattered from the impact of the explosions.

Videos circulating online showed fireballs rising into the night sky while long columns of smoke drifted above the capital. Footage also captured flames spreading along roads where leaking fuel had caught fire.

CRAZY FOOTAGE 🔴

Apocalyptic scenes coming out of Tehran right now pic.twitter.com/VVejLZfaVq

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 7, 2026

By 10:30 am local time, cars travelling along Valiasr Street, one of the city's main north-south roads, were still using headlights to see through the darkness.

Authorities warned residents that the air had become dangerous to breathe. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that "significant quantities of toxic hydrocarbons, sulfur and nitrogen oxides" had been released into the atmosphere.

🔥BREAKING
After #Israel air strikes in #Iran #IranIsraelWar And #USIranWar turned into river of fire into Iran https://t.co/NQ2zOAJFRS pic.twitter.com/3ZbJvfCYnl

— NUNU GLOBAL NEWS (@NUNUCOINnunu) March 8, 2026

The strikes have temporarily disrupted fuel distribution across the Iranian capital.

Tehran governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian said the city's fuel supply had been "temporarily interrupted." "The problem is being resolved," he added.

First Strike On Oil Infrastructure During Current War

The attacks mark the first time Iran's oil infrastructure has been targeted. Israel previously attacked Tehran's oil facilities during the 12-day war last June.

The latest escalation follows joint strikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets last Saturday, which killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has since responded by launching missiles at Israel and at American military bases across the Gulf states.