HomeIran News NowIran News in Brief-Articles and VideosIran News in Brief – March 13, 2026
Iran News in Brief-Articles and Videos Iran News in Brief – March 13, 2026
Written by Sedighe Shahrokhi
13th March 2026
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Missile strikes hit residential areas of Sanandaj, western Iran, with multiple explosions reported across the city— March 2026 THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS UPDATE: 09:00 PM CET
Iran War Enters Day 14 With Intensified Strikes Inside the Country, Wider Domestic Repression, and Fresh Regional Spillover The war entered its 14th day on Friday with a sharp escalation inside Iran, where air and missile strikes continued through the night and into the morning while the authorities simultaneously expanded internal security measures across major cities. According to sources from inside Iran, fresh explosions and bombardments were reported in Tehran, Ahvaz, Qom, Isfahan, Tabriz and Behshahr, while additional overnight strikes were reported in Arak, the Hamedan industrial zone, Kashan, Fardis and Qazvin’s Lia industrial district. Israel issued new evacuation warnings for parts of Tehran, including the Villa Street and Moniriyeh areas, and for the Lia industrial area in Qazvin before some of those strikes.
Israel said it struck more than 200 targets in central and western Iran in the previous 24 hours, including ballistic-missile launchers, air-defense systems and weapons production sites. AP also reported a large blast in Tehran’s Ferdowsi Square area after an Israeli warning tied to a state-organized Quds Day rally, underscoring how the capital itself remains under direct pressure.
Inside the country, the most important development over the last 24 hours was not only the continuation of bombardment, but the regime’s intensified focus on internal control. Authorities have tripled street patrols, widened checkpoints and rolled out what state media described as new “security and policing” plans in urban areas. The official IRNA News Agency said street patrols had been increased threefold to guarantee “sustainable security” during wartime. At the same time, the IRGC Intelligence Organization warned that the “enemy” was seeking to provoke street unrest and threatened protesters with a blow “harder than January 18,” while calling on Basij and IRGC personnel to maintain a constant visible presence.
The Pentagon is moving a Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, as Iran steps up its attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, according to two U.S. officials. Expeditionary units typically consist of up to 2,500 Marines. https://t.co/g4fmC7lIhF
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 13, 2026
Security pressure in Tehran has deepened as the war continues. Reuters reported that Israel has been targeting checkpoints associated with the IRGC and Basij in Tehran, while AP described a city living under a heavy security presence, with civilians reporting fear, isolation, and strikes arriving without warning or sirens.
Reports also suggest that the regime’s armed forces raided the home of the family of slain protest figure Javad Heydari in Qazvin province, detained his father and brother, destroyed his gravestone, attacked the family farm and beat workers. The attackers were linked to IRGC intelligence, which shows the state is still prioritizing intimidation of protest-linked families even while the country is under sustained military attack.
By sending an audio message, a political prisoner in Greater Tehran Prison described severe shortages of food and water, the use of pellet rounds, live fire and tear gas to prevent prisoners from escaping after strikes near the facility, failing phone access, and prison doors being welded shut. The account also said prison shops were effectively nonfunctional and that basic supplies were running out, highlighting the acute danger facing detainees trapped in facilities exposed to nearby military action.