Witnesses report blasts and military activity across Iran

Messages sent to Iran International and posts on social media were divided over Wednesday’s strike on the South Pars gas field in southern Iran, with some welcoming the hit on state-linked assets and others warning of civilian costs.

US President Donald Trump said Israel had struck Iran’s South Pars gas field “out of anger” over developments in the Middle East, describing the damage as limited and warning there would be no further attacks unless Iran targeted Qatar again.

The strike marked a shift in a conflict that has spread across the Persian Gulf, disrupting energy flows after Iranian missiles targeted facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

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Strike seen as blow to state-linked networks

Some messages sent to Iran International framed the attack as a setback for institutions tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

“Israel, by hitting South Pars, saved us from more theft… the money was turned into bullets fired at our children,” one citizen wrote.

Another, who said he had worked on projects in the field, downplayed the long-term impact.

“Even with the complete destruction of all 24 gas refineries… they will return to production in less than three months,” he wrote, adding that supply lines from offshore platforms would shut automatically and protect reserves.

A separate message from an engineer challenged concerns about offshore facilities.

“The platforms are not even fully operational because of sanctions… after the Islamic Republic, they can be rebuilt better,” he wrote, contrasting them with higher-quality installations on the Qatari side.

Others shifted the focus away from infrastructure entirely.

“The main infrastructure was the young people they took from us… the rest can be rebuilt with better technology.”

Social media posts echoed that line in sharper language. “Don’t worry about infrastructure,” one post read. “What infrastructure are you talking about? What life was left that needed infrastructure?” it added.

Concerns over civilian impact

Other messages cautioned that strikes on energy infrastructure would translate directly into hardship for civilians.

“Don’t look at infrastructure so simply,” one user wrote. “Lack of electricity and gas means death – cold, hunger, medicine shortages.”

Another post rejected attacks on non-military targets. “Hitting Iran’s infrastructure by any side is condemnable. It belongs to all Iranians,” the message read.

Some called for limiting strikes strictly to military-linked targets. “Please just hit those responsible and leave non-military infrastructure alone.”

One message also questioned the timing. “Hitting South Pars at this moment is not the last and best solution,” it read.

Back to corruption and rebuilding

Even among those critical of the strike, some framed the debate through long-standing economic grievances.

“If infrastructure belonged to the people, no one would be searching in trash for food.”

Another argued that damaged facilities could ultimately be replaced. “That worn-out infrastructure… will be rebuilt better – but those lives won’t return,” the user wrote referring to thousands of people killed during the January protests.

Others pointed to historical reconstruction. “Germany and Japan were flattened in World War II – where are they now?” one user said.

Across the exchanges, a recurring thread linked both support for and opposition to the strike back to mistrust of the Islamic Republic, with many portraying the country’s energy wealth as mismanaged or diverted, and arguing that any future recovery depends less on infrastructure than on political change.

Explosions, air activity and security measures were reported in several parts of Iran from late Wednesday into early Thursday, according to eyewitness accounts sent to Iran International.

The southwestern city of Ahvaz, the main city in Khuzestan province, saw fighter jet activity at 5:53 a.m. followed by an explosion around 6:30 a.m. in the Golestan area.

In northern Iran, a strong blast was heard at 5:16 a.m. in Sari, the capital of Mazandaran province. The port city of Bandar Anzali was also hit by what was described as two drone attacks followed by heavy bombardment targeting naval units of the IRGC and the army. Reports said fuel storage sites were damaged and several warships were destroyed.

In central Iran, a police station in Shahin Shahr, near Isfahan, was reported hit on Wednesday evening. Separately, in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Basij forces were reported to have set up nighttime checkpoints in an area at the city’s entrance, with armed patrols causing traffic and fear.

Explosions were reported across several parts of southern, western and central Iran early on Wednesday, according to eyewitness accounts sent to Iran International.

Bandar Abbas, the southern Iranian port city on the Persian Gulf, saw a series of blasts near naval and port facilities. Around 8:00 a.m., explosions were heard from the direction of the navy area and Shahid Bahonar port. More blasts followed at about 8:15 a.m. in the Jahanbar area, and at 8:40 a.m. near the oil terminal and control tower at Shahid Rajaee port.

Ahvaz, the main city of Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, was shaken by a strong explosion around 9:30 a.m. in the Zeytoun Karmandi neighborhood, rattling windows in nearby homes.

An explosion was heard around 5:00 a.m. in Songhor, a town in Iran’s western Kermanshah province near the Iraq border.

Near Kazerun, a city in Iran’s southern Fars province, an explosion was heard at about 6:55 a.m.

In Malard, west of Tehran, multiple explosions were reported between 6:50 a.m. and 7:10 a.m. In nearby Fardis, in Alborz province west of the capital, several blasts were heard around 7:11 a.m., including in the Naz district.

Several Iranians told Iran International that familiar rituals that normally fill homes with activity in the weeks before the holiday have stalled.

“This year we did nothing,” Leila, a 38-year-old resident of Tehran, told Iran International. “We didn’t wash carpets and we didn’t do the house cleaning. Every year I would start from early February, but this year we are just looking at the sky, waiting for the fall of this regime.”

Nowruz, the Persian New Year marking the arrival of spring, has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years across Iran and parts of Central Asia and the Middle East.

The holiday usually falls on March 20 or 21 and begins nearly two weeks of family visits, meals and gatherings.

‘Shaking the house’

In most years, the weeks before Nowruz transform daily life across Iran. Families traditionally begin with Khaneh Tekaani, a deep spring cleaning whose name literally means “shaking the house.” Carpets are washed, cupboards reorganized and homes refreshed to symbolically welcome the new year.

Another essential ritual is planting Sabzeh — dishes of sprouting wheat, lentils or barley that represent renewal and rebirth and are later placed on the Haft-Seen table, the centerpiece of the celebration alongside candles, colored eggs, a mirror and often a red goldfish.

But this year, some residents say even modest traditions feel out of reach.

“Planting Sabzeh is something we Iranians do every year, but this year with all the news about war we completely forgot about it. God damn the Islamic Republic for ruining everything,” Kamran, a 42-year-old office worker in Hamedan, told Iran International.

‘No money, no mood’

Markets that normally bustle in the run-up to Nowruz — with families buying sweets for visiting relatives, decorative items for Haft-Seen tables and new clothes for children — have also been quieter this year, residents say.

Some cite the worsening economic situation as a key reason holiday traditions have faded.

“Every year despite inflation we bought at least a few things,” said Golnaz, a 35-year-old shop owner in Karaj. “But this year we had neither the money nor the mood. We are waiting for that final moment.”

Golnaz described how rising prices have weighed heavily on households and small businesses.

“Even if we wanted to prepare and had the energy, prices are so high we simply cannot afford it. Everything has become several times more expensive. I run a small cosmetics shop and this month I have not even earned the rent for the store,” she said.

Her husband, who drives for a ride-hailing service, is working less frequently amid fears of bombings and falling demand as more people stay home.

‘No ordinary time’

On social media, many Iranians say the emotional tone of the season has shifted sharply compared with previous years.

“If things were normal, I should be excited for next week and finishing my preparations. The scent of night-blooming flowers would be filling the house and the holiday sweets would already be in the refrigerator,” one user wrote.

Another reflected on the contrast with childhood memories: “What burns me is that it is the New Year season. People should now have the mood of buying for the holiday and welcoming the new year in Iran. I remember how excited I was as a child. But those feelings slowly died inside me.”

For generations, the approach of Nowruz has filled Iranian homes with cleaning, cooking and preparations symbolizing renewal. This year, residents say those rituals — once a nationwide signal of spring’s arrival — have been overshadowed by war, rising prices and uncertainty about what the new year will bring.

Explosions were reported in multiple cities across Iran early on Tuesday, including Tehran, Karaj, Shiraz and Abadan, according to witness accounts sent to Iran International.

Several blasts were heard around 05:15 local time in Karaj, while an explosion was reported earlier at 05:00 in Hashtgerd, west of Tehran.

In northern Tehran areas including Tajrish, Darband and Jamaran, loud explosions were heard between 02:45 and 03:05, with no fighter jet activity reported.

Further south, residents in Abadan and Khorramshahr reported dozens of explosions around 04:00.

In Shiraz, several blasts were heard starting at 03:40, with continued explosions reported in the nearby city of Sadra. Multiple explosions were also reported in Lar in Fars province.

In southeastern Iran, a strong explosion in Chabahar at 05:34 shook buildings, witnesses said.