THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 11:00 PM CET
Iran War Reaches New Fronts as Tankers Burn and Neighbors Tighten Security
Iranian state media reported intensified air activity and additional strikes around Tehran and other areas on Thursday afternoon and evening. Press TV claimed the Iran regime’s integrated air-defense network downed seven “Hermes” and “MQ-9” drones in western and southwestern Iran, describing the aircraft as linked to Israel and the United States, and said Iran carried out what it called retaliatory operations in the region.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that the IRGC launched “Khorramshahr-4” missiles in what it termed the 19th wave of its “True Promise” operation, claiming impacts in and around Tel Aviv and at Ben Gurion Airport. Those claims could not be independently verified.
Sports sites in Tehran struck
In a notable development amplified by state-linked outlets, the IRGC-run Tasnim news agency said U.S. and Israeli aircraft hit a sports facility in southern Tehran known as “Mothers’ Stadium” or “Be’asat/Be’sat Stadium,” reporting seven missiles fired at the site near the end of 17 Shahrivar Street.
Separately, Press TV described strikes on the Azadi sports complex as a “war crime” framing the damage as an attack on civilian infrastructure. Other sources suggested the attacks hit sports venues and other municipal and police-linked sites in Tehran that it said were being used by security forces for protection or staging.
🇮🇷 Iranian authorities were issuing warnings to people connecting to the internet in defiance of a communications blackout that had left the Islamic republic largely cut off from the outside world, witnesses told AFP.
➡️ https://t.co/hzpIsxQebf pic.twitter.com/tT5eFdRjfN— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 5, 2026
Gulf shipping crisis deepens as more tankers are attacked
The most immediate spillover during the reporting window was at sea. Reuters reported at least two further tanker attacks on Thursday—one near Iraq blamed on an Iranian explosive-laden craft, and another near Kuwait that was damaged and began leaking oil—part of a pattern Reuters said has left roughly 200 vessels stranded near the Gulf and outside the Strait of Hormuz. Separate Reuters reporting quoted the IRGC as saying it hit a U.S. tanker in the northern Gulf and that the vessel was on fire, adding there was no immediate independent confirmation; the same statement warned that wartime passage through Hormuz would be “under the control” of Iran.
China, heavily exposed to Hormuz energy flows, has been in talks with Tehran to secure safe passage for crude and Qatari LNG shipments, Reuters reported, as transits collapsed and hundreds of vessels clustered near the chokepoint.
Azerbaijan reports drone strikes in Nakhchivan, raising fears of a Caucasus spillover
Azerbaijan accused the Iranian regime of drone strikes that injured four people in the Nakhchivan exclave, with reported impacts near Nakhchivan International Airport and a village school area, and said it was preparing retaliation. Iran denied targeting Azerbaijan. The incident opened a new and politically sensitive front given Baku’s ties with Turkey and Israel and the proximity of energy infrastructure central to regional exports.
British PM Keir Starmer announced on Thursday that he will be sending four more fighter jets to Qatar and anti-drone Wildcat helicopters to Cyprus amid the ongoing Iran war. https://t.co/8YEmrkcHl2
— euronews (@euronews) March 5, 2026
In Lebanon, the government said it would prohibit IRGC activity on Lebanese soil and pursue deportation of identified members, according to reports citing cabinet decisions and Information Minister Paul Morcos. The same reporting said Beirut reinstated visa requirements for Iranian citizens entering Lebanon.
Europe shifts into defensive posture
European governments continued to reposition assets defensively as Gulf states report repeated missile and drone threats. Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told parliament Italy was preparing air-defense support for Gulf partners and defensive deployments toward Cyprus. In parallel, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy would provide defensive assistance—focused on air defense—to Gulf countries that request it, citing the need to protect tens of thousands of Italian citizens in the region and roughly 2,000 Italian troops stationed there, according to Xinhua’s account of her RTL 102.5 interview.
The World Health Organization said it had verified 13 attacks on health infrastructure in Iran and was checking reports of additional casualties among health workers, as displacement rises and front lines expand across borders and sea lanes.
UPDATE: 05:00 PM CET
Iran’s Long-Prepared Resistance Activates
Regimes rarely collapse in a single decisive moment. They fracture under pressure until a political opening emerges. When that moment arrives, the decisive question is not simply whether an authoritarian system has weakened, but whether an organized alternative exists capable of converting rupture into a structured democratic transition.
Iran may now be entering such a moment.
The ongoing U.S. and Israeli military offensive against the Islamic Republic has dramatically intensified pressure on a regime whose domestic legitimacy had already been eroding for years. Major strikes have targeted military infrastructure and elements of Iran’s security apparatus, deepening uncertainty inside the ruling establishment and exposing fractures within the regime’s governing structure.
UPDATE: 12:00 PM CET
Overnight Strikes Reported in Tehran, New Iranian Missile Wave toward Israel
Reports overnight described renewed strikes hitting Tehran as the conflict moved through its sixth day. In parallel, the regime in Iran launched another wave of missiles toward Israel early Thursday, triggering alerts and air-defense activity. As in earlier barrages, claims and counterclaims moved faster than independent confirmation. Analysts said the tempo suggests neither side is signaling de-escalation in the near term.
Maritime security reporting flagged a “large explosion” near a tanker anchored off Kuwait, followed by indications of an oil leak and the vessel taking on water. Crew were reported safe. The incident added to already elevated shipping risk perceptions in Gulf-adjacent lanes. Even when attribution is unclear, such events tend to drive higher insurance costs and more conservative routing by operators.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards issued a statement claiming an attack on a U.S.-linked tanker in the northern Gulf and said the vessel was on fire. Reuters reports the crude tanker Sonangol Namibe likely suffered a hull breach after a blast while anchored near Khor al Zubair port (approached by an unknown small vessel). Ship was reportedly stable, not carrying cargo, and no pollution was reported.
Commercial satellite imagery has shown extensive damage to key Iranian government and military sites after the United States and Israel launched their most ambitious campaign against Iran in decades https://t.co/I1oa9seB4w pic.twitter.com/KHmhr3Revd
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 5, 2026
Recovery efforts after sinking of IRIS Dena
Sri Lankan authorities reported continuing recovery and medical response activity after the Iranian warship IRIS Dena sank in waters near Sri Lanka, with bodies recovered and survivors treated. Sri Lanka also referenced another Iranian ship in its exclusive economic zone, saying it was working to safeguard lives. The episode widened the conflict’s geography beyond the Gulf and Levant.
An Azerbaijani government-linked source said missiles and drones coming from the direction of Iran fell on the territory of Nakhchivan’s airport. Separately, Azerbaijani statements described a drone striking the terminal area and another landing near a school, injuring two civilians.
The Iranian regime said it carried out strikes in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, describing the targets as linked to Kurdish armed groups. Iraqi Kurdish authorities and independent monitors have offered varying accounts of the locations hit and the extent of damage.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry accuses Iran of a drone attack against its exclave of Nakhchivan.
Iran has not acknowledged targeting Azerbaijan, but its attacks have spread erratically as the war has gone on involving regional countries and beyond. https://t.co/WBCxhQld0O
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 5, 2026
Disruption narrative persists, shipping risk remains elevated
Reports continued to describe severe disruption and heightened threat perceptions affecting traffic near the Strait of Hormuz. Even without a formal “closure,” the practical effect can be slowed transits, anchoring, rerouting, and elevated war-risk premiums. This is one of the most immediate global economic transmission channels of the war.
UPDATE: 10:30 AM CET
With Iran’s Future Leadership in Question, Iranian Americans Are Advocating for Control
(WLUK) — After Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in Operation Epic Fury, eyes turned to who his successor may be.
Members of the Iranian American Communities are going to Washington D.C. Saturday to march for what they believe in. Ali Soltani, spokesperson for the IAC in Wisconsin, said, “We are demanding that the United States recognize the right of the Iranian people to determine their own future and form of government.”
Questions about future leadership in Iran have been mounting in Washington. Reports suggest Iran, for now, has established a three-person leadership council. However, Khamenei’s son could emerge as the next Supreme Leader under the current regime.
It’s something White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed during a news conference Wednesday.
UPDATE: 09:30 AM CET
Women’s Leadership, an Imperative for a free Iran, a Democratic Republic
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s message: “On the eve of International Women’s Day, I extend my sincere congratulations to you. This day is a time to renew our commitment to the ideals of freedom and equality.
“This year, International Women’s Day belongs to the courageous women and young people of Iran. In the month of January, they rose in a major nationwide uprising. Thousands lost their lives and they paid a heavy price for freedom.
“Now, with the death of Khamenei, one of this century’s most brutal criminals, the mullahs’ religious dictatorship is nearing its end.
“Three decades ago, the Iranian Resistance exposed this program. It did not allow a fundamentalist and terrorist regime to surprise the world with an atomic bomb.
Today, everyone can clearly see that this dangerous program has brought nothing to Iran except the loss of national wealth, destruction, and war.”
Evin Prison: Air Strikes Raise Alarm Over Inmates’ Safety
In the early hours of Tuesday, March 3, 2026, areas surrounding Imam Hossein University in Tehran and part of the perimeter wall of Evin Prison were targeted during air strikes. Sections of the prison wall were damaged. As of this writing, no verified information has been released regarding the condition of prisoners or potential casualties.
The incident has once again placed the safety of prisoners held at Evin Prison, particularly political prisoners, including approximately 200 female political prisoners and detainees of the January uprising, at the center of public concern amid escalating military threats.
International Figures Welcome NCRI Provisional Government as Support Echoes Inside Iran
Following the announcement by the National Council of Resistance of Iran of the formation of a provisional government based on a Ten-Point Plan to transfer sovereignty to the Iranian people, prominent political figures from Europe and North America have publicly welcomed the initiative. Simultaneously, messages attributed to Resistance Units inside Iran suggest that support for the proposal is not confined to political circles abroad. In London, David Alton underscored the importance of unity around democratic principles, stating: “All Iranians who believe in democracy must stand together, seek a just and peaceful resolution of the conflict – and together forge a nation led by Iranians committed to living peacefully alongside its neighbours in the region. The 10 point plan based on democracy, human rights and the rule of law remains the best blueprint for national unity and an end to horrific dictatorship and oppression.”
Why Evin Prison Transfers Are Sparking New Fears in Iran
In the shadow of escalating military tensions near Tehran, fresh reports from human rights organizations are raising concerns about conditions inside Evin Prison. According to accounts published between February 28 and March 4, 2026, prison authorities have warned of possible forced transfers of inmates—sparking anxiety among families already struggling with limited access to information.
While no official confirmation has been issued by Iranian authorities, relatives of detainees say they were informed that a restructuring plan is under discussion. Under the reported plan, financial prisoners would be moved to Tehran Greater Penitentiary (commonly known as Fashafouyeh), while political prisoners and foreign nationals could be transferred to facilities in Qom.
Copenhagen Rally: Backing NCRI’s Provisional Government Declaration, Call for a Democratic Republic
Copenhagen, Denmark – March 3, 2026 — Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) gathered outside the Iranian regime’s embassy, calling for the overthrow of the clerical establishment and expressing support for the MEK’s Resistance Units inside Iran. They described the moment as a turning point in the country’s political future.