A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as the Iranian conflcit entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
We’re closing our live blog now after another dramatic day of developments in the Iran conflict. You can catch up on all the key events from today in the round-up article below.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told a dinner with Special Forces soldiers in Ankara that Türkiye is coordinating with NATO allies to ensure the country's security. He was speaking after NATO forces neutralised a ballistic missile from Iran in Turkish airspace earlier on Wednesday.
He said: "We are taking every precaution in close consultation with our NATO allies and intervening immediately where necessary. We are issuing the strongest warnings to prevent similar incidents happening again."
Oil and liquified natural gas tankers, as well as cargo ships, remain at anchor off the coast of major Gulf energy suppliers, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to Reuters estimates, based on ship-tracking data from the MarineTraffic platform.
The U.S. Department of Defense has shared footage of its attack on Iranian warship, Iris Dena, off the southern Sri Lankan coast. Colombo's Deputy Foreign Minister said at least 80 people had died in the U.S. strike on the vessel.
Iran has postponed the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian state media. A new scheudule for the farewell ceremony is set to be announced at a later date.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirms the United States carried out a submarine torpedo strike that sank an Iranian frigate travelling near Sri Lanka’s southern coast, prompting rescue efforts for the crew.
“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declares the United States is winning the war against Iran and has the capacity to sustain the fight “for as long as needed”, as conflict escalates region‑wide.
"Our air defenses and that of our allies have plenty of runway. We can sustain this fight easily for as long as we need to," Hegseth said.
The number of people killed in U.S.-Israel strikes rises to 1,045 in five days of US-Israeli attacks against Iran.
A ballistic missile launched from Iran, detected heading towards Turkish airspace after passing through Iraqi and Syrian airspace, was successfully intercepted and neutralised by NATO air and missile defence forces deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defence.
A Sri Lanka Navy spokesperson confirmed that 32 people injured in a submarine attack on an Iranian vessel off the Sri Lankan coast have been rescued and are receiving treatment in hospital.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s late supreme leader, has survived the U.S. and Israeli air strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other key figures, two Iranian sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
Economy and Finance Minister, Roland Lescure, said on Wednesday that a meeting of G7 finance ministers and central bank governors will be held "early next week" amid U.S. and Israel's conflict with Iran.
"I spoke with my counterparts, notably with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. We agreed to set up a meeting that will likely be early next week because... We can let a week pass, see how the conflict evolves, even see how the markets evolve," he told radio station France Info.
Southern Cyprus has said that a suspected object was detected near Lebanese airspace on Wednesday. The airspace above Larnaca Airport has been closed as a precaution, a government source said.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said the current situation with Iran highlights the failure of the international order. He condemned the Iranian strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure across the Middle East. Carney also said that Canada would welcome a change of regime in Tehran.
The U.S. government has ordered non-emergency personnel and their families to leave Bahrain on Wednesday due to safety risks.
The Sri Lankan navy dispatched a rescue mission after a distress call from an Iranian ship, a defence ministry spokesperson said earlier on Wednesday.
Foreign minister Vijitha Herath did not give further details but said Sri Lanka would take appropriate action.
Iranians will bid farewell to late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a ceremony on Wednesday at Tehran's Imam Khomeini prayer ground, state media reported.
The ceremony will last for three days and the funeral procession will be announced when it is finalised, it said.
China’s NPC (The National People's Congress) spokesperson urged an immediate end to military operations and a return to talks on the Iran issue, saying no country has the right to dominate international affairs.
China is willing to work with the United States to promote communication on all levels while upholding its "red lines" and principles, Lou Qinjian, spokesperson for the national legislature, said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, more than 470 Chinese citizens have been evacuated to safety since the conflict in Iran began at the weekend, Mao Ning, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters on Wednesday.
The U.S. military on Tuesday (3 March) identified four of the first American soldiers killed in the war against Iran as the Trump administration warned the intensifying conflict would lead to more American casualties.
Among six U.S. military deaths so far, the four soldiers were members of an Iowa unit of the U.S. Army Reserve. They died on Sunday when a drone slammed into a U.S. military facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said on Wednesday (4 March) it intercepted and destroyed a drone in the country's Eastern Province.
The ministry did not immediately provide further details on the drone's origin or whether the incident caused any damage or casualties.
Several people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a four-storey residential building in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, the state news agency NNA reported early on Wednesday.
Rescue teams were working to pull families from beneath the rubble, NNA said.
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One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Pakistan has called on Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to crack down on militants operating from Afghan territory, warning that cross-border attacks pose a growing threat to regional security.
Saudi Arabia has vowed to remain resilient after a wave of Houthi missile and drone attacks killed around 20 people at Riyadh's main airport, raising concerns over the kingdom's air defences and disrupting flights across the region.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign and ratify their peace agreement as soon as possible, calling it a crucial step towards securing his country's long-term stability.
Georgia is seeking to join the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan transport route as part of efforts to boost trade and strengthen access to international markets. The country is also investing in transport infrastructure and deepening economic ties with Uzbekistan.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
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