Airstrikes Intensify Over Tehran as Iran’s Missile Barrages Decline

Heavy airstrikes hit Tehran and several other major Iranian cities on the morning of March 6, 2026, according to Persian-language media abroad and social media posts from inside Iran. Israel’s military announced the start of a large-scale wave of strikes against the capital, signaling a new phase in the U.S.-Israeli air campaign aimed at dismantling Iran’s remaining military infrastructure.

Witnesses described the attacks as intense, with blasts powerful enough to shake nearby homes. Reports also described explosions near the western city of Kermanshah, an area that hosts several Iranian missile bases. Israeli officials said earlier operations had destroyed much of Iran’s air-defense network and a significant number of its missile launchers.

Videos sent by residents in Tehran showed U.S. and Israeli warplanes roaring over the capital and dropping bombs. Unlike the long-range strikes that relied on expensive stand-off missiles during the first days of the campaign, the latest attacks appear to involve close-range bombing — a tactic that usually reflects air superiority by the attacking forces.

A Tehran resident told IranWire that many people in the city feel relieved and hope the current government will not survive much longer. At the same time, he said, groups believed to support the authorities have moved through neighborhoods with loudspeakers since yesterday, chanting slogans such as “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.”

Daily life has grown more difficult, he added. Supermarkets do not stay open consistently, forcing residents to search for shops that still operate. Authorities have begun rationing some food items, including canned tuna, bottled water, and even pasta. Banks now operate on reduced hours, and ATMs, when stocked with cash, only allow withdrawals of up to five million rials, less than four dollars.

Despite these disruptions, the resident said many citizens remain defiant. When explosions subside, some residents worry the fighting might end without major political change, leaving them to continue living under the same system. “We have become braver people during these past weeks,” he said.

Opposition activist Mehdi Hajati wrote that the latest strikes likely targeted what he described as the regime’s underground command centers — its last remaining hubs for directing operations — along with a network of security and military tunnels used to move personnel across the city. Hajati argued that destroying this command structure would mark the start of a second phase of operations focused on hunting isolated units left without central leadership. In such conditions, he added, regime forces might not even find the opportunity to publicly declare their fallen members as “martyrs.”

Another resident said strikes hit several sites linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. After the attacks, some Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel pitched tents in the streets and took up alert positions. Other accounts indicate that authorities have turned schools in Tehran’s District 19 into temporary bases for Revolutionary Guards, with soldiers occupying several buildings, particularly older school facilities. A resident in southern Iran also reported strikes around Asaluyeh, Jam, and Bandar Deyr on March 5, 2026.

Meanwhile, reports from Israel indicate that Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks have nearly ceased. Israeli and U.S. strikes against military installations and missile and drone launchers appear to have significantly reduced Iran’s ability to sustain large barrages. At the same time, Iranian units may hesitate to expose themselves to further airstrikes as command-and-control systems weaken.

Most Tehran-based news websites remain inaccessible from abroad. However, a review of their Telegram channels shows numerous posts highlighting damage to oil shipping in the region and predicting major disruptions to the global economy. Government-controlled outlets portray Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and other neighboring countries as major victories and claim that economic pressure will eventually force the United States to halt its air campaign.

Government-controlled media also highlighted a CNN report from Tehran suggesting that daily life appears more normal than expected, with shops and supermarkets operating. Some Iranians abroad criticized CNN for sending a reporter who must work under tight government restrictions while reporting from inside Iran.

Military analysts describe the intensified air campaign as “Phase Two” of the Israeli-American operation, which now focuses on tactical targets intended to disable Iran’s remaining military capability. Social media posts also suggest that some soldiers have begun deserting under bombardment and returning to their hometowns. Meanwhile, top Iranian officials have grown quiet, issuing far fewer of the sweeping threats against the United States and Israel that once dominated official rhetoric.