Iranian cities of Tehran, Yaz, Isfahan and Shiraz experiencing the most intense bombing of the war so far, over the night of 22-23 March.
Persian New Year shock and awe.
Iran Update Special Report: March 22, 2026
US President Donald Trump threatened on March 21 to “obliterate” Iranian power plants if Iran does not “fully open” the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.[1]
Iran has threatened to attack regional energy infrastructure if the United States attacks power plants in Iran. ISW-CTP has recorded several Iranian attacks on regional energy infrastructure since the war began on February 28, but the new threats could entail an expansion of such attacks. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated on March 22 that Iran would strike critical infrastructure and energy facilities in the region if Iranian power plants are attacked.[2] The Khatam ol Anbia Central Headquarters released a statement on March 22 and similarly threatened to “completely close” the Strait of Hormuz as well as target regional energy infrastructure and regional companies with US shareholders.[3] Iran’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization reiterated that Iran will not allow US, Israeli, or US-Israeli allied vessels to transit the strait.[4] Iran has attacked energy infrastructure in at least the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Israel since the war began.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on March 21 that an unknown projectile exploded near a vessel 15 nautical miles north of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.[5] The UKMTO later classified the incident as “suspicious activity,” not an attack, because it could not confirm the intended target.[6] The UKMTO has reported 21 confirmed maritime incidents in the Strait of Hormuz since the war began.[7] The last confirmed Iranian attack on a vessel was on March 11.[8] Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that they will control which vessels transit the strait and that vessels affiliated with the United States, Israel, or their allies cannot pass.[9]
IRGC Ground Forces Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Karami visited unspecified IRGC Ground Forces units in western and northwestern Iran on March 22.[10] The combined force has struck several Ground Forces units in these areas since the beginning of the war. Iranian Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS)-affiliated media reported that Karami warned that Ground Forces units are ready to confront any ”aggressors” on Iran’s borders.[11] The IRGC Ground Forces are structured to confront any invading force while also having units positioned to violently suppress social unrest.[12] The visit of the IRGC Ground Forces commander to units in northwestern provinces along Iran’s border is notable given the combined force’s efforts to degrade internal security institutions in Iran’s western border region and reports about possible armed Kurdish mobilization along the Iran-Iraq border.[13] The combined force has reportedly struck at least two IRGC Ground Forces divisions and one brigade in northwestern and majority Kurdish areas of Iran since February 28 (see map below).[14] The combined force reportedly struck the 31st Ashoura Mechanized Division, which operates in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province, on March 4. Commercially available satellite imagery from March 4 and 5 also confirmed damage from combined force strikes to the 11th Amir ol Momenin Brigade base in Soltan Abad, Ilam Province, and the Nabi Akram Operational Division in Kermanshah City, Kermanshah Province.[15]
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-evening-special-report-march-22-2026/