Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said US-Israeli attacks on Iran's oil facilities and refineries had raised serious environmental risks, according to a report citing the Iranian news agency ISNA.
Mr Araghchi's statement was carried on Sunday by Pakistan's Daily Times, which attributed it to ISNA. The exact date of the statement has not been confirmed.
He said: "When an attack causes soil contamination, destruction of water resources, and the creation of hazardous materials, its effects can persist far beyond the time and place of the attack." He added that the environment could no longer be considered a "silent victim of war".
Four major oil facilities were targeted, according to the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS), a UK-based non-profit, as reported by ABC News. They were the Karaj, Shahran and Aghdasiyeh oil depots and the Tehran refinery.
ABC News reported that the Tehran refinery can process about 225,000 barrels a day. It said a storm system brought rain that carried pollutants down as acid and toxic rain, including oily "black rain", according to Iranian officials.
The BBC reported that it had confirmed strikes on at least four oil facilities around the capital. It cited experts who said the scale of some pollutants released could be "unprecedented".
Residents of Tehran complained of burning eyes and difficulty breathing, according to the Associated Press.
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning about toxic pollutants in the air after the strikes on oil depots around Tehran, CBC News reported.
Charles Driscoll, professor of environmental engineering at Syracuse University, told ABC News that for black rain to form, pollutant concentrations must be "extremely high". Scientists told the outlet the pollutants could have lasting health and environmental effects.
No response from the United States or Israel to Mr Araghchi's statement had been reported.
The US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on 28 February, according to the BBC. Oil depots and a refinery around Tehran were struck in early March, including the Shahran refinery on 8 March, according to ABC News.
Black rain fell on and near Tehran, a city of nearly 10 million people, ABC News reported. The Associated Press reported that rain washes hazardous chemicals out of the air in a relatively short time, and that people exposed to black rain should take precautions.
The Associated Press also reported that Iran has retaliated by firing drones and missiles at oil and gas facilities of its Gulf neighbours. Scientists told ABC News and CBC that long-term contamination of soil and water is a concern.
Photo: National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
