This article was written by Melinda Liu.

Day 5, March 4

-An American torpedo fired from a submarine hits an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, in the Indian Ocean, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth claims. While Hesgeth stated that the ship had been sunk on Tuesday and that it “died a quiet death,” Sri Lankan officials, who responded to the distress call, reported that 80 bodies were found and another 32, many with serious injuries, were rescued and taken to a hospital. It is believed that there were around 180 people on the ship. That leaves nearly 70 people unaccounted for, or unreported by any relevant authorities.

A spokesperson with the Sri Lankan navy denied claims that the ship had been sunk by a submarine, stating that “at the time rescue operations were launched, rescuers had not seen the vessel – nor any other ships in the region.” The Iris Dena was sunk in international waters, but Sri Lanka responded to the distress call because it “was within our search and rescue region” and  they were “obliged to respond as per international obligations.” Sri Lanka has been neutral in the conflict and called for restraint and de-escalation.

The Iris Dena in the Bay of Bengal during the International Fleet Review in 2026, a military exercise hosted by India. Source: BBC.

-Kurdish fighters in Iran, near the Iraq border, have begun ground activity, The Jerusalem Post reports, citing Israeli and American officials. The Kurdish forces are “considered one of the most prominent armed opposition groups confronting the regime in Tehran” and maintain thousands of fighters. According to Kurdish sources, ground operations would potentially ease pressures on protesters and resistance forces. Along with the current strikes against Iran, a key opportunity may be opening up. Contact has apparently taken place between the Trump administration and opposition leaders in Iran, as well as members in Iraq. The Kurdish forces are expecting American and Israeli support and backing.

Members of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan at a checkpoint near their base in Erbil, Iraq, photographed in late February. Source: Financial Review.

-In Washington, Republicans voted to block a “bipartisan war powers resolution to halt military action against Iran,” even amidst some GOP doubt about the apparent lack of a plan to end the conflict. The motion to move the resolution past the Senate’s Foreign Relations committee was blocked 47-53.

-Also coming from Washington, the Pentagon identifies the first four US troops killed in the conflict. Their ages ranged from 20 to 42, and all served in the 103rd Sustainment Command from Des Moines, Iowa (part of the Army’s logistics operations). 

Undated pictures of the four killed US soldiers – U.S. Army Reserve Captain Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida, U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska, U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa. Source: Reuters.

-In Europe, while many countries have condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes on the Gulf states, there is no consensus on the US-Israeli actions that caused said strikes. While Spain has “evicted US military aircraft from its bases,” leading to Trump threatening to cut off trade with Madrid, the UK “has allowed its military base at Akrotiri on Cyprus to be used by US aircraft for purely defensive purposes,” and Germany fully backs US goals. With strikes reported in Cyprus, the action has gotten dangerously close to Europe, as shown by Greece “[dispatching] four of its most sophisticated F-16 Viper fighter aircraft and two frigates” to defend Cyprus from further attacks.

-As the conflict reaches its fifth day with no end in sight, Israel and the US continue to strike Iran, particularly in western Tehran. One area hit during strikes was the Natanz nuclear facility in southwest Iran, though no radioactive substances have leaked. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Israeli pilots are still flying over Iran and will continue to strike it. Meanwhile, Iran promises retaliation, stating that “it will target ‘all economic centres in the region.’”

A map showing current deaths and injuries in the Middle East. Source: Al Jazeera.

-Despite reports on Tuesday claiming that the late Khamenei’s successor had been chosen – his son, Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, Iran has denied such claims. The Iranian Consulate General in Mumbai, posting on X (formerly Twitter) states that the rumors of a successor being chosen have “no official source and are officially denied.”

-The Strait of Homuz, a key route in international trade and shipping, remains effectively shut down. Cargo ships are stuck, or are forced to take the longer trip around Africa, while planes remain grounded. Estimates state that about 3200 ships, or 4% of all global shipping activity, are idle inside the Gulf, while another 500 (or 1%) are waiting in ports off the coast of the UAE and Oman. In addition to the massive amounts of oil produced in the region that are transported through the strait, the halt could “[affect] everything from pharmaceuticals from India, semiconductors from Asia and oil-derived products like fertilizers that come from the Middle East.”

A screencap from MarineTraffic, a maritime analytics provider showing the flow of shipping around the tip of Africa, as of 8:00 PM ET. It is important to note that due to other tensions in the region, including Houthi attacks and previous Iranian threats, transit has already previously shifted from the Suez Canal to the Cape of Good Hope. Source: MarineTraffic.

–Turkey reports that NATO air defenses struck down an Iranian ballistic missile heading towards its airspace – the first time a NATO member has been drawn into the conflict. The missile was struck down near a base in southern Turkey where US air forces were stationed. Though unlikely, this could lead to the triggering of NATO’s Article Five, which would oblige all members to come to Turkey’s defense.

Debris of the NATO air defense system that struck down the Iranian missile in Dortyol, in southern Hatay province. Source: Reuters.