The Take · Al Jazeera

Is war turning Tehran’s air into a chemical weapon?

March 23, 2026·22 min·2 clips

Nargis reveals how Israeli strikes turned Tehran's sky black, with acid rain leaving the city coated in toxic particles.

This episode of The Take examines how recent military strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure are creating toxic air conditions for Tehran's civilians. Host Tamara Kandelkar speaks with Nargis Bajogli, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University specializing in Iran. Bajogli describes receiving a message from a friend in Tehran detailing a city coated in a dark, greasy film after Israeli strikes on oil depots. The attacks caused thick smoke to linger for over a day, followed by black acid rain that covered everything and made breathing difficult. The conversation details how particles from petrochemical fires can lodge deep in lungs, potentially causing long-term respiratory issues and cancers, particularly in children and the elderly. Bajogli connects the current crisis to the legacy of chemical weapons used during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, which left approximately 100,000 Iranian survivors. She shares the story of her friend's father, a survivor of that war who underwent over 20 eye surgeries before going blind and requires constant inhalers. The discussion argues that Western sanctions have contributed to Iran's existing air pollution by forcing reliance on more polluting fuels. Bajogli contends that modern warfare, through agents like depleted uranium or white phosphorus, often constitutes a form of chemical warfare even when such weapons are not formally classified as such. She references the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam as a precedent. A surprising claim is that the entire Middle East became a testing ground for chemical weapons after the protocols were disregarded during the Iran-Iraq war. The episode notes that the current "mass poisoning event" is compounded as civilians must immediately face new escalations without pause. An insightful moment contrasts the immediate coverage of explosions with the invisible, long-term damage toxins inflict on soil, water, and public health for decades. The tone is analytical and educational, weaving historical context with current events and personal testimony. Listeners interested in the environmental and public health dimensions of modern conflict will find this episode compelling. Those seeking solely tactical or political analysis of the ongoing war may find the focus on long-term chemical consequences less engaging.

As heard by us

A grim look at how war can linger in the air and in the body.

The piece follows Tehran after strikes on energy facilities and keeps the smoke at the center, not as scenery. It moves from the immediate fallout to the more uncomfortable question of what people are breathing, and why that matters when war starts to spill into public health.

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Why you'd press play

When strikes on energy facilities leave Tehran under a thick cloud of smoke, the episode asks whether the air itself can become part of the battlefield.

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