Residents of Iran’s sprawling capital, Tehran, woke up earlier this month to scenes that they could probably imagine only in horror films. Clouds of smoke had shrouded the metropolis of 10 million, toxic rain blended with oil poured down from the sky, and the sun remained invisible through noon on the morning of March 8. Hours earlier, Israel had launched airstrikes on 30 oil facilities in Tehran and nearby regions, causing explosions that killed six people in the city of Karaj.
On social media, people in Iran who managed to bypass the ongoing internet blackout posted images of their cars being cloaked by thick layers of black toxicants that were the residues of an acid rain precipitated by the strikes the night before. Scientists have raised the alarm that long-term exposure to the compounds contained in this “black rain” may potentially increase the risk of cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and cognitive impairment among the inhabitants of Tehran.
When the United States and Israel launched their unprovoked and incoherent war on Iran on February 28, international observers decried the attack, questioning its legal basis in the absence of authorization by the UN Security Council and the U.S. Congress. Even some U.S. allies such as Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have criticized the war as being illegal.
Now, as the civilian death toll increases after more than two weeks of bombing, and as the destruction promised by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth materializes across Iranian cities, more Iranians are reflecting on why their lives unraveled and why the international community has failed them despite earlier declarations of support from influential U.S. and European politicians during the nationwide protests that rocked the country in December and January.
Hellbound and Down 