Iran: Iran's Black Rain and the Health Shadow of Oil Wars

Apr 10, 2026 | Abraham Marshall Nunbogu, Rohit Ramchandani, Mehreen Shami, Wania Khan, and Kaveh Madani
Think Global Health
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On March 7, 2026, Israel struck four fuel-storage and oil-refinery depots across Tehran, Iran's capital, and the adjacent city of Karaj. The airstrikes ignited large fires that sent dense plumes of smoke into the atmosphere of a metropolitan area that is home to more than 15 million people. When rain fell hours later, it scavenged pollutants from the smoke, producing an unusual phenomenon that residents described as "black rain."