Fires erupt across Tehran after strikes on fuel depots; regional tensions escalate sharply
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran and about 300 in Lebanon as the United States–Israel military campaign against Iran entered its ninth day, with Israeli air strikes hitting Iranian oil facilities for the first time since the conflict began.
Large fires broke out across parts of Tehran after air strikes targeted multiple fuel storage and oil infrastructure sites, sending thick smoke across the capital. According to Al Jazeera, citing Iran’s Fars news agency, the strikes hit four major oil storage facilities and an oil production transfer centre in Tehran and the nearby province of Alborz.
The facilities reportedly targeted include the Aghdasieh oil warehouse in northeast Tehran, the Tehran refinery in the south, the Shahran oil depot in western Tehran and another oil depot in Karaj city. Witnesses said oil from the Shahran depot spilled into nearby streets following the attack. At least four tanker drivers were killed in the strikes in Tehran and Alborz. Iranian authorities said security forces and emergency teams were working to contain the fires while fuel distribution across the country remained unaffected.
Israel confirmed that it had struck “a number of fuel storage facilities in Tehran”, saying the sites were being used to support military infrastructure. The attacks mark the first direct targeting of Iran’s oil infrastructure since the start of the conflict, raising concerns about energy security and global oil markets.
The war began on February 28 after coordinated US and Israeli strikes targeted senior Iranian leadership and military facilities, including an attack that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, the conflict has rapidly expanded across the region, with Iran launching missile and drone attacks against Israel and several countries hosting US military bases.
As the confrontation intensified, Israeli forces also carried out fresh strikes across Tehran on Sunday and reportedly targeted commanders of the Quds Force, the overseas operations wing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, during an operation in Beirut.
Explaining Israel’s broader objective, former Israel Defense Forces international spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said the campaign aims to weaken Iran’s ruling establishment rather than immediately replace it.
Speaking to NDTV, Conricus said Israel’s goal was to degrade the regime’s military capacity so that internal political change could eventually emerge. “It’s too early to determine who will be the leader,” he said, adding that the strategy is to weaken the regime enough for the Iranian public to challenge it.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the country was prepared for a prolonged conflict. According to Iranian officials, the armed forces could sustain an “intense war” with the United States and Israel for up to six months. Tehran also said it had so far deployed only “first and second generation” missile systems and warned that more advanced long-range missiles could be used in the coming days.
The expanding war has begun to disrupt energy infrastructure and shipping routes across the region. Saudi Arabia reportedly intercepted several drones heading towards targets including the diplomatic quarter in Riyadh, while Kuwait said an attack struck fuel tanks at its international airport. Kuwait’s national oil company has also announced a reduction in crude production amid threats to the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies pass.
Meanwhile, Iran’s political leadership is moving to address a major vacuum created by the killing of Khamenei. The country’s Assembly of Experts — the 88-member clerical body responsible for appointing the supreme leader — has reached a broad consensus on a potential successor, Al Jazeera reported citing Iran’s Mehr news agency.
Assembly member Ayatollah Mohammad-Mahdi Mirbagheri said a candidate had been identified but that “some obstacles” still remained in the selection process. Israel has warned it may target members involved in choosing Khamenei’s successor, issuing a statement on social media cautioning those attending any leadership selection meeting.
The conflict has become one of the most direct confrontations between Israel and Iran in modern history, escalating from years of proxy conflicts and covert operations into a wider regional war involving multiple countries across West Asia.
