Heavy bombing reported across Iran as Strait of Hormuz remains closed to shipping traffic

As war enters third week, vital waterway takes central focus

Heavy bombing was reported in various cities in Iran on Sunday morning as the U.S. and Israel continue their military activity against the Islamic Republic regime.

Explosions were reported in the capital city of Tehran and in other cities known to house military sites.

Reports in Iranian media and online indicate that heavy airstrikes took place in the city of Isfahan on Sunday morning. According to these reports, multiple explosions were heard across the city.

Pictures posted on social media show a low-altitude fighter jet flying over the city, while videos show plumes of thick smoke.

Iran International reported strikes in several parts of the city on Sunday morning, with witnesses telling the opposition-linked news site that more than 15 strikes hit different points in Isfahan, with no apparent attempts to defend the targets.

Smoke was also seen rising from a base in Dezful, in western Iran, while eyewitnesses told Iran International they had seen explosions near the airport in Shiraz, which also houses an airbase.

The reports of strikes across Iran came shortly after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released a video of a B-52 bomber taking off for a bombing run in Iran.

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress takes off for a night mission during Operation Epic Fury. Strikes from U.S. forces continue to be unpredictable, dynamic, and decisive. pic.twitter.com/LU9zogVy7C
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 15, 2026

The B-52 is the oldest bomber still in service in the U.S. military, and its use in Iran indicates that Israel and the U.S. believe they have achieved air superiority. Unlike newer bombers, such as the B-1 and B-2, the B-52 moves quite slowly, and it is not deployed in areas with intact surface-to-air defense systems.

Meanwhile, with the Iranian regime is continuing to demonstrate an unwillingness to capitulate in the war, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened additional strikes on the Islamic Republic’s Kharg Island oil export hub.

After telling NBC News the U.S. strikes had totally demolished military infrastructure on Kharg Island, Trump said, “We may hit it a few more times just for fun.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi threatened to target American-run facilities in the regime if Iranian oil infrastructure is targeted.

“If Iranian facilities are targeted, our forces will target American companies’ facilities in the region, or companies in which the U.S. holds shares,” Araghchi warned.

President Trump also called on the nations of the world that depend on oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz to help secure the vital waterway in a post to Truth Social.

“The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help – A LOT!” Trump wrote on Saturday evening. “The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be – It will bring the World together toward Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace!”

This came after he had previously posted that several countries would be sending warships to the Strait.

“Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” Trump wrote on Saturday afternoon. “In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!”

While the strait has mostly remained closed since the start of the Iran war, Araghchi told MS NOW, that only U.S. and Israeli are being prevented from accessing the waterway. He also falsely claimed that there are “many tankers and ships that are passing through the Strait of Hormuz.”