English: In February 2017, dust storms enveloped the countries bordering the Persian Gulf. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a true-color image on February 19, which shows the storm after dust had spread across the length of the Gulf. The day before, winds carried dust across Iraq and Iran toward the southeast.

Dust storms are common in the region in the summer, and they are often provoked by the shamal—strong winds that blow from the northwest and over the Persian Gulf. But the shamal also occurs sporadically between November and early March.

The February dust storms were reported to be responsible for damaging electrical infrastructure and knocking out power to cities in Iran’s Khuzestan province. The dust, pollution, and power failures were among the reasons people gathered in Ahvaz to protest, according to The New York Times. The scenario is similar to storms that hit in February 2015, which also reportedly spurred environmental protests in Ahvaz.