Waves of severe explosions, drone flights, and air defense fire have been reported across Tehran, Isfahan, and surrounding cities over three consecutive nights. Targets reportedly include IRGC and Basij checkpoints, with citizens describing the latest blasts as unprecedented and earthquake-like.
Beginning Wednesday, March 11 (Esfand 20) and escalating through Friday, March 13, 2026, Iranian cities have been subjected to continuous waves of drone flights, anti-aircraft fire, and massive bombardments. Reports from citizen aggregators and opposition media describe a deteriorating security situation, with immense explosions shaking Tehran and Isfahan, prompting widespread panic.
The attacks commenced on Wednesday evening in Tehran with continuous drone activity. Vahid Online, a prominent citizen-journalist aggregator, shared numerous eyewitness accounts of air defenses firing aimlessly for hours against multiple drones. According to the opposition network Iran International, armed checkpoints on Army Highway and near Vali-e Asr Square were targeted. Iran International also cited a report from the IRGC-affiliated Fars News agency, which confirmed the drones were actively targeting IRGC and Basij checkpoints. In response, heavily armed suppression forces and vehicles were deployed to residential areas like Ekbatan and Poonak, causing further alarm among residents.
By early Thursday, March 12, the focus shifted to Isfahan and the greater Tehran suburbs. From Isfahan, Vahid Online compiled reports of multiple blasts and continuous fighter jet activity starting around 00:24, with strikes hitting near Sepahan Shahr and Havanirouz. Hours later, an intense bombardment hit the outskirts of Tehran. Citizen reports indicated severe strikes in Parand, Shahriar, and Karaj, alongside a staggering report of 41 explosions in just seven minutes in the military-industrial Parchin area.
The heaviest wave of attacks struck Tehran directly on Friday, March 13, beginning around 04:40. Vahid Online documented over 20 highly severe explosions that woke the entire capital. Residents described the blasts as entirely different from previous nights—deeper, prolonged, and feeling like an earthquake that shook buildings across the western, eastern, and central districts. The unrelenting, deep-penetrating strikes drove terrified citizens out of their homes into the streets by 05:00.
The source material relies heavily on crowdsourced eyewitness accounts of military attacks compiled by opposition and citizen-journalist channels. As instructed, the translation preserves the original framing and loaded language of the sources, such as referring to state security as 'suppression forces' and describing air defense responses as 'firing aimlessly'. The background context regarding the Afghan Afghani currency fluctuations was omitted as it bears no relevance to the military strikes in Iran.