4 min readMar 4, 2026 08:55 PM IST
First published on: Mar 4, 2026 at 08:32 PM IST
The Iran-US-Israel conflict entered its fifth day on Wednesday, with US and Israeli forces continuing their heavy strikes against Iran, days after the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The United States and Israel hit Iran’s capital and other cities in multiple airstrikes on Wednesday, targeting Tehran’s leadership of security forces as the Islamic Republic responded with missile barrages and drone attacks.
Tehran residents woke to dawn blasts, and Iranian state television showed the ruins of a building in the centre of the capital. The Shiite seminary city of Qom and multiple other cities were also targeted.
Here are the key updates on Day 5 of Iran-US war –
Iranian warship sinks after suspected strike: An Iranian naval frigate sank early Wednesday morning in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, leaving nearly 80 sailors dead and several others injured or missing, according to Sri Lankan authorities and officials familiar with the incident. The US later took responsibility, revealing it had hit the warship with a torpedo from its submarine.
Iran’s retaliation, drone attacks: Hundreds of missiles and drones were launched by the Iranian security forces targeting US bases and embassies in Middle Eastern countries. Saudi Arabia intercepted nine drones, while explosions were heard near the US consulate in Dubai.
Oil in the crosshairs: With Iran’s stranglehold on tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which about a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped, Brent crude prices hit USD 84 a barrel, up more than 15 per cent since the start of the conflict and at its highest price since July 2024.
Over 1000 killed so far: The death toll in Iran from the US-Israeli attacks has risen to 1,045, Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported. US President Donald Trump said during a briefing that some of those killed in Iran were being considered as possible future leaders of the country.
Khamenei’s son may succeed him: Mojtaba Khamenei, the powerful son of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is alive and favoured to emerge as his father’s successor, two Iranian sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
Uncertainty over Khamenei’s funeral: As new explosions rang out in Tehran, plans were in doubt for a funeral for the elder Khamenei, 86, killed by Israeli forces on Saturday in the first assassination of a nation’s top ruler by airstrike. The body had been expected to lie in state in a vast Tehran mosque from Wednesday evening, but state media reported a farewell ceremony had been postponed.
UN probe condemns strikes on Iran: The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission said in a statement about Iran, “These attacks, which were followed by Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the region, run counter to the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.”
Damage to Israel’s economy: Israel’s Finance Ministry on Wednesday said that the damage to the country’s economy due to the war with Iran could reach 9 billion shekels a week, reported Reuters. Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened ‘complete destruction of region’s military, economic infrastructure.’
Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beiruts southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon. (REUTERS photo) 
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