Iranians described dramatic scenes overnight as strikes hit oil depots in Tehran and Karaj, west of the capital, during continuing attacks by the United States and Israel, says The BBC.
Residents told the BBC that explosions lit up the night sky and set fuel facilities ablaze.
One person said the blast made it feel “as if night had turned into day”.
Iranian news agencies reported that fuel depots were struck in both Tehran and Karaj, citing a source in the oil ministry.
Footage circulating online showed flames engulfing a street near one depot in Tehran, with a man heard saying that nearby shops and homes had caught fire.
“Karaj was calm for a day but now it’s turned wild again – they’ve blown it up,” one resident told the BBC.
Another resident in his thirties described a sudden flash followed by a shockwave.
“It started with a red light that lit up everything followed by a wave that jolted the door,” he said.
“Then the sky was lit again and a huge red cloud appeared. We didn’t know what was happening.”
He said he went up to the roof of his building and saw the nearby oil depot burning.
The BBC did not identify the residents for security reasons.
Iranian authorities said they were monitoring air quality in the capital after the strikes and urged residents to remain indoors.
Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said the attacks were releasing hazardous and toxic substances into the air.
The strikes “are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air”, he said, warning that they were “endangering lives on a massive scale”.
A woman in Tehran said thick smoke had spread across the city.
“You can smell the burning. I can’t see the sun. There is a horrible smoke. It’s still there, I’m very tired,” she said.
Another man in Karaj said the depot explosion triggered a large fire.
“The strike caused a huge explosion and it was on fire for hours,” he said.
The US–Israeli campaign against Iran, which began with the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has entered its second week.
Iran has responded by launching attacks against US allies and assets across the region.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ali Khamenei, has been selected as his successor.
US President Donald Trump said the attacks were justified because Iran’s government posed an imminent threat to the United States, citing concerns about its nuclear programme.
Iran says its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful.
According to Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, the strikes have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and injured thousands more.
Despite the destruction, some people in Tehran told the BBC they still supported the attacks.
“We the people have taken refuge in our homes and are eagerly awaiting the destruction of the government so we can take to the streets like we did before,” one man in his twenties said.
He added that Iranian state television had warned that anyone who “speaks or acts in favour” of the United States, Israel or Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, “will be killed”.
