History
will not forgive Reza Pahlavi, Masih Alinejad, Nazanin Boniadi, and all other leaders
who tricked Iranians into thinking this war would set them free.
Critics described “Scenes of Armageddon” and characterized
the bombings and the destruction they triggered as the latest crimes committed
by the US and Israel since they launched their unprovoked and illegal assault
on the Middle East nation last week.
Iranian officials urged residents to stay in doors to avoid
the health impacts of the air quality following Israel’s intentional
bombing of several oil storage and processing facilities in the city on
Saturday.
“On top of everything else, Israel and the US have unleashed
an environmental disaster in Tehran,” said Assal Rad, a fellow at the Arab
Center in Washington, DC. “How many ways can they show you they have no
regard for human life?”
Iran’s Red Crescent Society warned that the toxic rainfall
in Tehran, home to approximately 10 million people, could be “highly dangerous
and acidic” and issued exposure guidelines for residents.
Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign
Ministry, condemned the attacks and resulting damage in stark terms.
“The US-Israeli criminal war against the Iranian nation has
entered a dangerous new phase with deliberate strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure,”
said Bagaei in an online statement. “These attacks on fuel storage facilities
amount to nothing less than intentional chemical warfare against the Iranian
citizens.”
“By targeting fuel depots, the aggressors are releasing
hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air, poisoning civilians,
devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale,” he
continued. “The consequences of this environmental and humanitarian catastrophe
will not be confined within Iran’s borders. These strikes constitute war
crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide—all at once.”
In a Sunday morning video, CNN correspondent
Frederik Pleitgen showed the view from central Tehran, including the
black water gathering on every surface:
Pleitgen also traveled to the Shahran oil depot, among the
facilities bombed Saturday, where dark gray smoke continued to billow into the
air and he described the amount of damage as “immense”.
“Though it is day, the sun cannot be seen in Tehran today
because of all the smoke following the US and Israel bombing Tehran’s oil
refineries,” said Trita Parsi, executive vice president for the Quincy
Institute, a US-based foreign policy think tank. “People on the ground describe
it as Armageddon.”
Parsi, who is of Iranian descent, also took aim at members
of the Iranian diaspora who for weeks and months have pushed for the US and
Israeli governments to attack their own country.
Courtesy: Common Dreams
