Massive bombardments and fighter jet activity were reported across Iran on Tuesday, with successive waves of airstrikes hitting Tehran, coastal cities, and provincial centers from 1:00 AM through midday.
Widespread and intense bombardments continued across Iran on Tuesday, March 17, with citizens reporting fighter jets and massive explosions spanning from the capital, Tehran, to the southern coastlines. The sustained attacks follow the initiation of a massive air campaign late on March 16, during which the IDF and U.S. CENTCOM targeted over 200 military installations and air defense systems across the country.
Foreign-based opposition network Iran International reported early morning waves of strikes based on eyewitness accounts. According to the channel, massive explosions were heard near Tehranpars between 1:29 and 2:52 AM, with further hits reported in northern Tehran neighborhoods like Jamaran and Darband by 3:05 AM. The bombardment was heavily distributed nationwide; witnesses reported 33 explosions in the southwestern cities of Abadan and Khorramshahr around 4:00 AM, while a "terrifying explosion" shook doors and windows in the southeastern port of Chabahar at 5:34 AM.
A highly concentrated wave of strikes hit Tehran and surrounding provinces at approximately 5:00 AM. Vahid Online, a prominent citizen-journalist aggregator that frequently highlights opposition voices, published unverified crowdsourced messages describing the chaos. One resident from southeastern Tehran described the 5:10 AM barrage as "the worst they hit, terrifying... ten maybe more in a row." In the western Sadeghieh neighborhood, another citizen reported a "terrifying bomb" that violently shook windows and the ground, stating it was "definitely a bunker buster."
The 5:00 AM wave also aggressively targeted provincial centers. According to the same Vahid Online aggregate, the western city of Kermanshah experienced power outages in the Jafarabad neighborhood following two severe explosions accompanied by intense light at 4:50 AM. Additional explosions were reported in Isfahan's Najafabad and Alborz's Hashtgerd, where residents were violently jolted awake by a severe blast at 5:10 AM.
The strikes did not cease at dawn but persisted into the daylight hours. A subsequent report from Iran International detailed a midday wave of attacks between 10:20 AM and 12:30 PM. A blast was heard in Kerman at 10:20 AM, followed by a series of severe explosions in Karaj and western Tehran neighborhoods. Between 12:15 and 12:30 PM, areas including Tehransar, Ekbatan, and Chitgar were subjected to "terrifying explosions" and consecutive bombings, with witnesses again reporting the clear sound of fighter jets flying overhead.
The sources consist primarily of aggregated, crowdsourced eyewitness accounts, highlighting a decentralized flow of information from civilians during the attacks. The varying descriptions of ordnance (e.g., 'bunker busters', 'grenade or bomb') reflect civilian panic and localized observations on the ground rather than verified military assessments. The channels sourcing this information operate with a well-known anti-regime stance, heavily relying on citizen journalism to bypass domestic reporting restrictions.