The Israeli military struck several Iranian oil facilities late Saturday, causing explosions that sent huge balls of fire and smoke into the air and shook Tehran and the neighboring city of Karaj, the New York Times reported. The fires caused by the massive attacks are still burning, and the Iranian capital, with nearly 9 million inhabitants, has been engulfed in thick smoke.
The attacks, confirmed by the Israeli military, are the first to target Iranian oil facilities. So far, the US and Israeli strikes, which began last weekend, have targeted Islamic regime leaders and military facilities.
The massive fires engulfed four oil depots and an oil production transfer center in Tehran and Alborz province, reports Iran's Fars news agency carried by Al Jazeera. Iranian state media described the incident as an “attack by the US and the Zionist regime”, referring to Israel.
Al Jazeera's reporter reporting from Tehran reported seeing black raindrops on his windows early Sunday morning. “There is a high risk of being surrounded by toxic air.”
The Israeli military confirmed in a statement that it had attacked several fuel depots and energy complexes in Tehran, saying the facilities were being used by the Iranian armed forces, according to the New York Times. The Israeli military described the attack as a “significant” one aimed at destroying the government's military infrastructure.
The Aghdasieh oil depot in northeastern Tehran, the refinery in the south of the city, the Shahran oil depot in western Tehran and an oil depot in the city of Karaj were the targets of the attacks, according to Al Jazeera. Witnesses said oil from the Shahran depot spilled onto the streets.
At least four tanker drivers were killed in the attacks in Tehran and Alborz, Fars reported. Despite the attack, “there is no shortage of fuel distribution” and security forces are “currently engaged in firefighting operations,” the agency added.
The first such attack
The New York Times reports that it has verified several videos shared online and confirms that these are the first attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure since the United States and Israel launched the war that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last week.
Fire is seen still burning at the Rey oil depot on Sunday morning, hours after the site, along with other oil depots in Tehran, was targeted in airstrikes late on Saturday, footage sent to Iran International shows. pic.twitter.com/iwtqWNVA7x
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 8, 2026
Until this weekend, the US-Israeli bombing campaign had largely focused on destroying Iran's leadership and security services, as well as police stations, while trying to eliminate its ability to produce and launch missiles and prevent Tehran from producing nuclear weapons.
Tohid Asadi, Al Jazeera's reporter in Tehran, said in turn that it was the first such attack since the start of the war, but not new for Iran.
“In June (no 2025), during the 12-day war, we saw how fuel depots were targeted, but this is unprecedented (no for the current war),” Asadi said. “We are facing a critical situation regarding the war and the environmental circumstances in the capital.”
“Psychological Warfare”
Mohamed Vall, another Al Jazeera reporter also broadcasting from Tehran, said the attacks on the oil facilities were part of a “psychological war” against the Iranians, “to scare them and make them think that this is really going to be the end for them.”
The sounds of explosions at Tehran's Mehrabad airport and fuel depot shook homes miles away, residents of the Iranian capital said, and filled the air with smoke. Tehran has a population of nearly 9 million.
“We are reaching a point where we feel that no place is safe anymore, and even the roads leading in and out of the city are dangerous because the targets around them are being attacked,” said Amir, a businessman who took his wife and two children to the countryside, away from Tehran. He said they heard the explosion from one of the oil depots near the mountains.
The aftermath of the attack
Fuel distribution was “temporarily interrupted” in the Iranian capital, Tehran, state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday, as reported by DW.
“Due to damage to the fuel supply network, distribution has been temporarily interrupted,” Tehran Governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Al Jazeera points out that Iran is a large country with many such facilities, so it is doubtful that the attack will cause a major crisis.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched a new series of attacks on Israel in retaliation for previous attacks.
