The 1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquake (Persian: زمین‌لرزه ۱۳۶۹ رودبار و منجیل) occurred on Thursday, 21 June 1990 at 00:30:14 local time in the Caspian Sea region of northern Iran.

[6] The focal mechanism of the earthquake indicate that the event corresponded with left-lateral strike-slip faulting with an epicenter in Gilan province.

Optical correlation techniques using SPOT satellite imagery and aerial photographs have given estimates of 220 cm left lateral movement, better matching the magnitude and suggesting that a significant proportion of the displacement may have occurred off the main fault strand.

The earthquake struck 30 minutes after midnight when most people were sleeping in their basic mud dwellings, a major factor contributing to the high death toll.

[11] Soil liquefaction also caused extensive damage in an area of about 80 km (50 mi) to the northeast of the earthquake's epicenter, ruining irrigation canals, pipelines, and splitting pavements apart.

Presumably, an underwater landslide contributed to the notable tsunami, taking place on the steep shores of the continental shelf in the area.

[17][18] An unusual outbreak of acute renal failure (ARF) occurred in the aftermath of the earthquake, with the number of victims needing dialysis support rising to 156, with a mortality rate of 14 percent.

[19] Acclaimed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami has fictionally incorporated the earthquake and its effects on northern Iran into multiple films of his.

In And Life Goes On (1992), a director and his son search for child actors from a previous Kiarostami film; Where Is the Friend's Home?