Smoke billowing after a US- Israeli Israeli strike on Wednesday
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military campaign against Iran was accelerating, with more warplanes arriving in the region. Earlier, Turkey said NATO had shot down an Iranian missile heading to Turkish airspace.
Here’s the latest.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the U.S. military campaign against Iran was accelerating, with more warplanes arriving in the region, as he warned Iranian leaders that American forces would deliver “death and destruction all day long.”
Just before Mr. Hegseth briefed reporters on the fifth day of the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran, Turkey’s defense ministry announced that NATO air defenses had shot down a ballistic missile fired from Iran that had been heading toward Turkish airspace. The ministry did not say what the missile’s intended target was, and Iran did not comment on the claim, but an attack on Turkey, a NATO member, would mark a dangerous escalation in Iran’s retaliatory targeting of neighboring countries.
War widening: Kallas
The Iran war is “rapidly widening” and has created a “dangerous moment” for Europe, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat said on Wednesday. Speaking at a news conference in Poland on Wednesday afternoon, Ms. Kallas said Iran was trying to “sow chaos and set the region on fire by indiscriminately attacking” countries where hundreds of thousands of European citizens reside. Government officials from European Union states and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council will meet on Thursday “to discuss the way forward,” Ms. Kallas said.
GCC states angry at Iran
Iran on Wednesday sought to assuage neighboring Gulf states angered by its drone and missile attacks by saying that it respected their sovereignty, but the message was not well-received by everyone. Qatar said its prime minister criticized Iran’s foreign minister in a phone call following Iranian retaliation targeting Qatar following the U.S.-American assault on Iran. Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, told Mohammad Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister, that the Iranian attacks in recent days were targeting “American interests and did not target the State of Qatar,” the Qatari foreign ministry said. Al Thani “categorically rejected” that argument. Iran, he said, “was seeking to inflict harm on its neighbors and drag them into a war that is not theirs.”
Pakistan warns Iran
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation, warned Iran that it has a mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia, which considers an attack on one nation to be an attack on both. “It is a sovereign agreement and we are bound by that,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told the Pakistani Senate. The Iranian leadership, he added, “should keep that in mind.” It remains unclear if Pakistan is prepared to enter a broader conflict against Iran.
Over 20 Iranian ship sunk
U.S. Central Command said in a statement on social media that it has “struck or sunk to the bottom of the ocean” more than 20 ships“from the Iranian regime.” It is the first assessment of the extent of naval damage by the military since CENTCOM last said it had destroyed one ship.
U.S. forces have struck or sunk to the bottom of the ocean more than 20 ships from the Iranian regime. Last night, CENTCOM added a Soleimani-class warship to the list. pic.twitter.com/KgW8cS726P
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 4, 2026
Gas prices in the U.S. continue to rise.
Gasoline prices in the United States rose to $3.20 a gallon on Wednesday, the highest level since September, as oil prices continued to climb in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The price of a gallon of regular gas has jumped about 20 cents this week, according to data from AAA, trailing gains in crude oil on domestic and global markets. Oil is the biggest factor in the price of gas for American drivers.
The New York Times
