EXPLAINER
On the sixth day of US-Israeli assaults on Iran, the conflict is escalating as regional tensions rise.
Published On 5 Mar 2026
On the sixth day of the United States-Israeli war in opposition to Iran, the scenario is escalating inside Iran whereas regional tensions are intensifying throughout the Gulf, Lebanon and Iraq.
Iran has threatened international transport within the Strait of Hormuz, and combating is spreading throughout a number of fronts within the Middle East. Further afield, a US submarine has sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka.
In Iran
- Death toll: According to Iranian state media, the demise toll from 5 days of US-Israeli assaults has reached 1,045, with greater than 6,000 folks wounded.
- Next supreme chief: Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has emerged as a number one contender to take up the nation’s high publish after years spent cultivating affect throughout the institution and forging shut ties with the highly effective Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
- Civilian infrastructure: Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused the US and Israel of strikes on 33 civilian websites throughout the nation. These places reportedly embody hospitals, schools, residential areas, the Tehran Grand Bazaar and the historic Golestan Palace advanced.
- US submarine sinks Iranian warship: On Wednesday, a US submarine fired a torpedo and sank the Iris Dena, an Iranian frigate, within the Indian Ocean off the south coast of Sri Lanka, increasing the warzone. Sri Lanka’s navy mentioned it had recovered 87 our bodies and rescued 32 folks.
- Kurdish floor offensive: There are rising indicators that Kurdish-Iranian armed groups have launched a floor offensive in northwest Iran in opposition to the Islamic authorities.
- Iraqi Kurds probably becoming a member of conflict: US officers have reportedly requested Iraqi Kurds to help in cross-border army operations, and Kurdish forces in northern Iraq are at the moment mentioned to be on “standby” to affix the conflict in opposition to Iran.
- Strait of Hormuz: On Wednesday, the IRGC introduced the closure of the strait, the place Iranian threats to assault ships have introduced maritime exercise to a digital standstill.
- Spain’s refusal to affix: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian recommended Spain for refusing to permit the US to make use of its bases for the conflict. US President Donald Trump threatened to chop off all commerce with Spain.
In Gulf nations
- Retaliatory strikes: Iran’s counterstrikes are disrupting oil flows throughout the Middle East.
- Saudi Arabia: The US secretary of state and the Saudi international minister mentioned “the continued threats the Iranian regime poses to regional stability”, and the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned an Iranian drone assault on the US embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday.
- Qatar: The Qatari authorities is evacuating residents who reside close to the US Embassy in Doha. Qatar’s Ministry of Interior said this is a “temporary precautionary measure”.
- Diplomatic pushback: Qatar’s international minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, reached out to his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, for the primary time because the conflict started.
- Sheikh Mohammed demanded an “immediate halt” to the strikes and mentioned Iran was making an attempt to tug neighbouring nations right into a conflict that is not theirs.
- Kuwait tanker explosion: An explosion was reported close to a tanker anchored roughly 30 nautical miles (equal to about 56km) southeast of Kuwait’s Mubarak al-Kabeer.
- Support from Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with officers in Qatar and different Gulf nations about plans to deploy Ukrainian specialists to the area to assist defend in opposition to Iranian drone and missile assaults.
In Israel
- Intensifying strikes: Israel’s army has introduced a brand new “wave of strikes” in opposition to army infrastructure in Tehran.
- Military success: US and Western officers said that the US and Israel have efficiently destroyed a good portion of Iran’s army capabilities. With air supremacy achieved, they mentioned, Israeli and US jets are in a position to fly uncontested over Iranian territory.
- Domestic influence: The Israeli army has barely relaxed wartime security guidelines, shifting from “essential” to “limited” actions.
In the US
- Congress and War Powers: On Wednesday, the US Senate voted 53-47 in opposition to requiring the Trump administration to acquire Congressional approval to proceed the conflict with Iran, halting a bipartisan War Powers decision.
- Public opinion: Public help for the conflict seems to be low. According to a Reuters/Ipsos ballot, solely about 25 p.c of respondents supported the US-Israeli assaults, whereas 43 p.c disapproved.
- The administration’s stance: The White House has strongly defended the army motion. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the administration’s targets are to eradicate Iran’s nuclear ambitions and destroy its navy.
- President Trump himself claimed that Iran was near acquiring a nuclear weapon, stating, “If we didn’t hit within two weeks, they would’ve had a nuclear weapon.”
In Lebanon, Iraq, Turkiye, China
- Lebanon conflict: The scenario is escalating in Lebanon, with Israel attacking areas together with Beirut and Khiam, and exchanging heavy fireplace with Hezbollah.
- Iraq: A drone hit a constructing close to Erbil airport, and Kurdish forces in northern Iraq are reportedly on “standby” for a possible cross-border operation into Iran.
- Missile interception: NATO air defences within the japanese Mediterranean intercepted and shot down an Iranian ballistic missile that had entered Turkiye’s airspace. “This was a deliberate attempt by the Iranian military to shoot out of their country, into a country that is not directly associated with the Gulf,” Mark Kimmitt, a retired US basic, instructed Al Jazeera.
- China: China’s international minister known as for an “immediate cessation” of the US and Israeli motion in a cellphone name together with his Israeli counterpart, the ministry mentioned.
