TEHRAN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Sunday strongly condemned the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian fuel depots, calling them "war crimes and crimes against humanity."
He made the remarks on social media platform X after U.S.-Israeli strikes hit oil facilities in Tehran and neighboring Alborz province on Saturday night, setting them on fire.
"The U.S.-Israeli criminal war against the Iranian nation has entered a dangerous new phase with deliberate strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure. These attacks on fuel storage facilities amount to nothing less than intentional chemical warfare against Iranian citizens," Baghaei said.
He added: "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."
"The consequences of this environmental and humanitarian catastrophe will not be confined within Iran's borders," Baghaei warned, adding that the strikes constitute "war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide - all at once."
The Iranian Red Crescent Society warned on Sunday that toxic compounds from the burning oil depots could cause dangerous acid rain if precipitation occurs, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that six people were killed and 21 others injured in the U.S.-Israeli attack on one of the oil storage facilities in Alborz province.
Israel targeted an oil depot in western Tehran during the 12-day war with Iran in June last year.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, some of his family members, high-ranking military commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with several waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East. ■
