Multiple United Nations agencies warn that the Middle East war could lead to consequences such as "black rain".

date
11/03/2026
Representatives from multiple United Nations agencies said at a press conference on the 10th that the recent conflicts in the Middle East have led to various consequences, including toxic "black rain" from attacks on oil depots, large-scale displacement of populations, and disruptions to the supply chain. At the press conference held in Geneva that day, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed concern about the toxic pollutants spreading as a result of attacks on oil depots in Tehran, the capital of Iran, by Israel and the United States. Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the World Health Organization, warned that the "black rain" and "acid rain" that fell on Tehran after the attacks pose a real danger to the people of Iran. The WHO is monitoring the health risks posed by the release of large amounts of toxic hydrocarbons, sulfur compounds, and nitrogen compounds into the air. Lindmeier also mentioned reports of attacks on oil facilities in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which have raised concerns about "wider regional pollution exposure." Carolina Lindholm Byrne, the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon, said that the rate of displacement of the Lebanese people is faster than during the 2024 Lebanon-Israel conflict. She explained that in the past 24 hours, attacks by Israel and other factors have led to a large number of people being displaced in Lebanon, bringing the total number of displaced persons in this conflict to around 700,000. Jean-Martin Bauer, head of the Food and Nutrition Analysis Unit of the World Food Programme, said that the conflicts have impacted the key nodes of the global supply chain in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Shipping companies have been forced to reroute, leading to increased logistics costs.