Live | US sinks Iran ship headed back from India; 83 sailors killed
Frigate had been in India to participate in MILAN 2026 multinational naval exercise; Sri Lanka says 32 people have been rescued
Here is the top, trending news of Wednesday, March 4, 2026, including Iran war, Indian politics, states' politics, geopolitics, federal issues, economics, development issues, sports, entertainment, and so on.
Read updates below.
Live Updates
- 4 March 2026 9:58 AM IST
Explosions sound in Iranian capital as war with US and Israel enters fifth day
Explosions sounded in Iran's capital city on Wednesday as its war with the US and Israel entered a fifth day following earlier strikes on an Iranian nuclear site and retaliatory strikes by the Islamic Republic across the Gulf region.
Iranian state television reported explosions around Tehran at dawn. Meanwhile, Israel said its air defences were activated due to incoming missile fire from Iran.
Five days into a war that US President Donald Trump suggested would last several weeks or longer, nearly 800 people have been killed in Iran, including some Trump said he had considered as possible future leaders of the country.
Explosions also hit Lebanon, where Israel said it is retaliating against Hezbollah militants. Lebanon's state-run media reported that at least four people were killed in an Israeli strike that hit a residential complex in the city of Baalbeck.
A day earlier, Israel launched airstrikes against Iranian missile launchers and a nuclear research site, and Iran struck back against Israel and others, targeting US embassies and disrupting energy supplies and travel.
The American embassy in Saudi Arabia and the US consulate in the United Arab Emirates came under drone attacks. Iran has fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel, though most of the incoming fire has been intercepted. Eleven people in Israel have been killed since the conflict began.
In other developments, the Pentagon identified four US Army Reserve soldiers who were killed in a drone strike Sunday at a command centre in Kuwait. The strike also killed two other service members.
- 4 March 2026 9:34 AM IST
IDF strikes about 60 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon
Israel Defense Forces in a post on X on Wednesday (March 4) said it struck about 60 Hezbollah terrorist targets in southern Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities, missile launchers, and command centers.
- 4 March 2026 9:28 AM IST
UK’s Ashmolean Museum returns ancient idol to be repatriated to TN temple
In a major first, the University of Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum has returned a 16th century bronze idol to India for its journey back to the temple in Tamil Nadu where it belongs. The sacred icon of Saint Thirumankai Alvar was acquired by the museum in a Sotheby’s auction in 1967 before being alerted to its origins at the temple of Shri Soundararaja Perumal in Thadikombu by an independent researcher in November 2019.
This led to the museum requesting the High Commission of India in London to formally confirm its provenance, with the process concluding in a formal hand-over ceremony at India House on Tuesday evening (March 3).
“This is a really significant moment for the Ashmolean Museum,” said Dr Xa Sturgis, director of Britain's first public museum dating back to the 17th century. “It was over five years ago that we first became aware that there was evidence that this bronze had been photographed in the temple in Tamil Nadu. At that point it became evident that there was no legitimate way in which it could have left India. And, even though the museum acquired this bronze in 1967 in good faith, we opened a conversation with the Indian High Commission about the possibility of returning this object to India,” he said.
Believed to have been stolen from the temple and replaced with a modern replica, the bronze sculpture is now set for its return journey after experts from the museum travelled to India to establish its roots with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Tamil Nadu state government officials, and temple authorities.
- 4 March 2026 9:22 AM IST
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted and destroyed 2 missiles
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence has said that it has intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles over Al-Kharj governorate in the central part of the country.
- 4 March 2026 9:21 AM IST
Army opens fire at suspected terrorists at LoC
Indian Army opened fire at suspected terrorists attempting to cross the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district early Tuesday (March 3), officials said.
The suspected persons were observed trying to sneak into this side from the Turkandi forward area around 4.15 am, the officials said. They said army troops guarding the LoC opened fire to thwart the infiltration attempt. Reinforcements have been rushed to the area and a massive search operation is underway.
On February 19-20, army troops foiled an infiltration bid by terrorists in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri, leading to the seizure of some arms and ammunition.
- 4 March 2026 9:12 AM IST
Asian shares extend losses as war with Iran widens and oil surges higher
Asian shares fell further on Wednesday (March 4) after the global sell-off for stocks hit Wall Street, with South Korea's benchmark plunging 8 per cent, while oil prices climbed even higher.
Worries over the widening war with Iran have hammered most world markets. Higher oil prices and how much they might worsen inflation are among the central fears for investors. More spikes for oil prices may grind down the global economy and sap corporate profits.
South Korea's Kospi led regional losses, tumbling 8.1 per cent to 5,321.38, causing trading to be suspended, as energy security concerns vanquished optimism over the boost big tech companies like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are getting from expanding use of artificial intelligence. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 shed 3.4 per cent to 54,346.73. Japan, like South Korea, depends heavily on imports of oil and natural gas from the Middle East that are now stranded in the Persian Gulf.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 1.4 per cent to 25,408.27 and the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.5 per cent at 4,100.46. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 declined 1.8 per cent to 9,130.90. Taiwan's Taiex lost 2.9 per cent.
On Tuesday, the S&P 500 finished with a loss of 0.9 per cent after dropping as much as 2.5 per cent on concerns over the war's damage to the economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average pared its loss to 0.8 per cent, and the Nasdaq composite fell 1 per cent.
The price of US benchmark crude oil climbed 1.2 per cent to USD 75.46 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 1.5 per cent to USD 82.61 per barrel. The dollar was nearly unchanged at 157.55 Japanese yen. The euro slipped to USD 1.1599 from USD 1.600.
- 4 March 2026 8:09 AM IST
US soldiers who died in Iran war remembered as devoted parents and reservists
Four of the six US soldiers killed in the Iran war were identified Tuesday by the Pentagon as members of the Army Reserve from different states who worked in logistics and kept troops supplied with food and equipment.
They died Sunday when a drone hit a command centre in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, just a day after the US and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host US armed forces.
Those killed were Capt Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist. No other names were released.
“These men and women all bravely volunteered to defend our country, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said.
All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, which provides food, fuel, water and ammunition, transport equipment and supplies.
“Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That's the way it is,” President Donald Trump said of deaths.
Amor was just a few days away from returning home to her husband and two children when she was killed.
“You don't go to Kuwait thinking something's going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts,” Joey Amor, her husband, said Tuesday.
Amor was an avid gardener who enjoyed making salsa from the peppers and tomatoes in her garden with her son, a senior in high school. She also enjoyed rollerblading and bicycling with her fourth-grade daughter.
“If you needed anything she would just take care of it for you," Joey Amor said. "She's helped a lot of people through a lot of dark times, and brought a lot of light to this world.” Coady's LinkedIn page said he was a student at Drake University and an information technology specialist with the Army Reserve.
He said he had learned how to "interact with countless different kinds of people from all different backgrounds” through his service.
Coady became an Eagle Scout in 2020, according to a Facebook post from his West Des Moines troop. An Iowa organisation that helps homeless children said he made 12 Adirondack chairs for the group.
Nebraska US Sen Pete Ricketts said he and his wife are mourning Tietjens' death and praying for his family.
“May we always remember and honor the sacrifices made by Noah Tietjens and the Tietjens family,” Ricketts said.
Tietjens was married with a son, according to a Facebook page. A photo online shows the couple with their son wearing a martial arts uniform.
There are several family photos on Facebook pages belonging to Amor and her husband, Joey Amor, including some images with a teen son.
Last November, Joey wrote a post expressing his love for Nicole.
“Even while you are on the other side of the world you found a way to make my birthday special,” he said. “I love you!” AP
- 4 March 2026 7:32 AM IST
Khamenei's son Mojtaba elected Iran's Supreme Leader
Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been elected as the next Supreme Leader of Iran, according to reports on Wednesday.
- 4 March 2026 6:42 AM IST
Trump: 'Someone from within' Iran's govt best suited to take power
US President Donald Trump said "someone from within" Iran's government might be best suited to take power once the US-Israeli war on the country ends.
His remarks came four days into a war that has killed hundreds, nearly all of them in Iran, as well as many of the country's top leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Although Tehran has kept up its retaliatory missile and drone strikes against Israel and across the Gulf — disrupting travel and driving up oil prices — the pace of Iranian attacks appears to be slowing. However, the conflict has also spread to Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel, prompting Israeli strikes in Beirut and additional troop deployments to southern Lebanon.
