Iranians marked the Persian New Year on Friday under the shadow of active conflict for the first time since the 1980s, as the spring equinox arrived amid ongoing bombardment by United States and Israeli forces. The exact moment of the new year, known as Nowruz, occurred at 18:15:59 local time.
Despite periodic bombing runs by fighter jets and drones, residents in Tehran gathered at local markets to purchase traditional holiday goods. The capital city experienced an influx of citizens returning from temporary relocations. Government officials reported no shortages of fuel or blood, allocating citizens 30 liters of fuel daily.
As regional conflict widens across the Middle East, the wartime environment in Iran stems from joint military operations launched in late February 2026. Recent strikes resulted in the deaths of top officials, including security chief Ali Larijani, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, and Basij head Gholamreza Soleimani.
March 20, 2026 / Tehran, Iran
Today is the Iranian New Year, Happy Nowruz🌿
This photo was taken today in Tehran, the past year has been one of the hardest in Iran’s history for so many of us, but we’re not giving up, we’ll keep going until Iran is free and this regime is gone.… pic.twitter.com/rk00BIz5TV— Daalvi (@aboutdaalvi) March 20, 2026
The arrival of the new year was accompanied by the intermittent firing of air defense batteries. Witnesses reported citizens cheering from rooftops and chanting anti-government slogans. Communication remains severely restricted, with internet monitor NetBlocks reporting national connectivity at less than 1 percent for the country’s 92 million citizens.
Nowruz, a 3,000-year-old holiday rooted in Zoroastrianism, marks the vernal equinox. The traditional Thursday visits to gravesites preceding the holiday drew families of protesters killed during the January 2026 anti-government demonstrations.
Internationally, the Iranian diaspora observed the holiday with displays incorporating images of the deceased into their traditional Haft-Sin tables, marking the new year with a tone of grief and defiance.