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VOICES FROM IRAN

Security checkpoints and Basij patrols reported across Iran

Mar 23, 2026, 06:03 GMT+0

Security deployments, Basij patrols and checkpoints were reported in several parts of Iran from late Sunday into early Monday, according to eyewitness accounts sent to Iran International.

In Tehran, security forces were reported stationed in Park-e Shahed, with a possible checkpoint expected in the Sardar Jangal area. Witnesses also said white Samand cars with green license plates were moving through the city after removing their plates and marking the vehicles as “Basij Patrol,” creating a heavy security atmosphere.

In Arak, in Iran’s central Markazi province, nighttime checkpoints were reported at the entrances to the industrial town.

In Rudsar, a city in Gilan province on the Caspian coast, checkpoints were said to be in place at all entrances to the city. In Sari, the capital of Mazandaran province in northern Iran, witnesses reported that IRGC forces and equipment were moved from Imam Square to the Red Crescent building on Imam Reza Boulevard.

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Explosions heard in southern Iran cities, eyewitnesses say

Mar 22, 2026, 19:07 GMT+0

Explosions hit multiple cities in southern Iran on Sunday evening, eyewitnesses told Iran International.

In Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province, witnesses said strong shaking accompanied several explosions.

In nearby Bandar Khamir, witnesses reported an explosion, thick smoke and the closure of the city’s entrances and exits.

In Bushehr, witnesses said they heard four powerful explosions on Sunday night.

Explosions, low-flying jets heard across multiple Iran regions

Mar 22, 2026, 15:45 GMT+0

Explosions were heard across central, southern and western parts of Iran on Sunday morning, while low-flying fighter jets were reported in multiple areas, eyewitnesses told Iran International.

Witnesses said blasts were heard in cities including Arak and Isfahan in central Iran, Ahvaz in the southwest, and Bandar Abbas and Bushehr along the southern coast, as well as Parsian, Karaj, Konarak, Mohammadshahr and Yazd.

Residents in Ilam, Qeshm, Malekshahi and Hamadan said fighter jets were flying at low altitude.

Witnesses report early-morning strikes across Iran

Mar 22, 2026, 05:36 GMT+0

Witnesses reported early-morning strikes and air activity across several parts of Iran, including Chabahar, Ahvaz, Bushehr, Yazd and Rasht.

Messages sent to Iran International said fighter jets were heard over Chabahar around dawn, while repeated jet activity and several explosions were reported in Ahvaz later in the morning.

In Bushehr, residents reported multiple overnight explosions, followed by two more blasts near daybreak, one of them near a Revolutionary Guards site.

A missile base in Yazd was also reported bombed in the morning. In Rasht, an explosion was heard before dawn and electricity was briefly cut in some areas.

Witnesses report overnight strikes in Tehran and other Iranian cities

Mar 21, 2026, 08:43 GMT+0

Missile strikes and explosions were reported in Tehran and several other parts of Iran early on Saturday, according to eyewitness accounts sent to Iran International.

In Tehran, multiple areas were hit between about 3:30 a.m. and 4:35 a.m. Shahrak-e Rah Ahan was reportedly struck by four missiles at 3:45 a.m. The Ferdows Boulevard area was hit around 3:30 a.m., while three explosions were heard in District 22 and four more from the direction of Tehransar. Loud blasts were also reported in Lavizan and Shahr-e Ziba, and in Bidkaneh, west of the capital, attacks were said to have continued from 4:00 a.m. at roughly 10-minute intervals.

Elsewhere, two explosions were heard at 3:32 a.m. in Ahvaz, in southwestern Iran. In Isfahan, in central Iran, explosions were reported at 2:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., with the 3:00 a.m. blast described as the strongest. Shahreza, south of Isfahan, was reportedly hit by a missile at 3:00 a.m. In Yazd, in central Iran, several points in the mountains around the city were bombed at about 10:40 a.m. In Dezful and Andimeshk, in the southwest, five heavy explosions were reported between 11:40 a.m. and 11:48 a.m., shaking buildings, with the Dokouheh area said to have been targeted.

Witnesses report blasts and military activity across Iran

Mar 21, 2026, 07:22 GMT+0

Explosions and military activity were reported in several parts of Iran early on Saturday, according to eyewitness accounts sent to Iran International.

In Fardis, west of Tehran in Alborz province, a Basij base and an old prayer site were said to have been turned into a base for special forces. Witnesses in Isfahan reported the sound of fighter jets overhead and several large explosions before dawn.

In southern Iran, Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf was rocked by repeated explosions from around 8 a.m., with blasts heard about every 10 minutes. On Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, witnesses reported the sound of several fighter jets at about 5 a.m.

A village in Ramsar, a city on the Caspian Sea coast, was hit at 3:37 a.m., with a strong explosion heard and a residential unit struck. In Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh, also in the north near the Caspian Sea, an area was targeted around 4 a.m. and a large blast was heard.