Iran War Live Updates: US Claims To Have Sunk Over 20 Iranian Ships; Trump Says US in 'Strong Position'

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed deep concern over the escalating situation in Lebanon, urging Hezbollah to immediately stop its attacks on Israel and calling on Israel to preserve Lebanon's territorial integrity and avoid a ground offensive. 

Macron spoke to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President of the Lebanese Republic, Joseph Aoun, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, to discuss the situation in Lebanon.

In a post on X, Macron wrote, "I reiterated the need for Hezbollah to immediately cease its attacks against Israel and beyond. This strategy of escalation is a major fault that is jeopardising the entire region. Likewise, I urged the Israeli Prime Minister to preserve Lebanon’s territorial integrity and to refrain from a ground offensive. It is important that the parties return to the ceasefire agreement."

I spoke today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as with the President of the Lebanese Republic, Joseph Aoun, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, to discuss the situation in Lebanon, which is very concerning.

I reiterated the need…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 4, 2026

Israel said it had begun new strikes in Lebanon targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Beirut's southern suburbs.

The war has killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries.

It has disrupted the supply of the world's oil and gas, snarled international shipping and stranded hundreds of thousands of travellers in the Middle East.
 

The Ministry of Interior - State Of Kuwait denied what has been circulated through some media outlets and social media sites regarding an incident occurring off the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port. The Ministry affirmed that what is being circulated is untrue, and that the incident referred to occurred outside the territorial waters of the State of Kuwait, at a distance of no less than (60) kilometers from Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port, urging everyone to exercise accuracy and to source information solely from official authorities in the country.

تنفي وزارة الداخلية
ما تم تداوله عبر بعض وسائل الإعلام ومواقع التواصل الاجتماعي بشأن وقوع حادث قبالة ميناء مبارك الكبير.

وتؤكد الوزارة أن ما يتم تداوله غير صحيح، وأن الواقعة المشار إليها حدثت خارج المياه الإقليمية لدولة الكويت، وتبعد بما لا يقل عن (60) كيلومتراً عن ميناء مبارك… pic.twitter.com/CuKKqTT7WH

— وزارة الداخلية (@Moi_kuw) March 5, 2026

Israel announced it will ease several wartime restrictions, allowing a limited resumption of daily activity beginning midday Thursday, according to a statement from the Israeli military. The Home Front Command said the updated guidelines — which will remain in effect until 1800 GMT on March 7 — permit public gatherings of up to 50 people, provided they are held near accessible shelters, as per AFP reports.

Under the revised measures, all regions of the country will shift from operating under “essential activity” rules to a “limited activity” framework. The announcement came shortly after the military noted a decline in the number of missiles launched from Iran toward Israel.

AFP also reported that despite the partial easing, schools and educational institutions will stay closed, and workplaces may reopen only if they are located close to shelters, ensuring quick access in the event of renewed attacks.

South Korea’s Kospi rose more than 12% on Thursday, rebounding from the previous session’s drop and tracking its strongest day.

The South Korean won strengthened 0.14% against the dollar to 1,460.60.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 4%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures traded at 25,534 versus the prior close of 25,249.48.

Kurdish Iranian dissident groups based in northern Iraq say they are preparing for a possible cross‑border offensive into Iran, according to Kurdish officials quoted by the Associated Press. The officials also said the United States has asked Iraqi Kurdish authorities to back these groups, signaling a potential widening of the conflict.

These Kurdish factions are considered the most organized and militarily capable part of Iran’s otherwise fragmented opposition, with several thousand trained fighters. Their involvement would pose a serious new challenge for Tehran, adding pressure on Iranian forces already stretched by the regional war. However, such a move also risks drawing Iraq deeper into the conflict, raising fears of further destabilization across an already volatile region.

Saudi Arabia announced that it had intercepted and destroyed three cruise missiles amid the ongoing US‑Israel‑Iran conflict. In a statement posted on X, the Saudi defence ministry said the missiles were taken down outside the city of Al‑Kharj, as regional tensions continue to escalate.

المتحدث الرسمي لـ #وزارة_الدفاع: اعتراض وتدمير ثلاثةِ صواريخ من نوع كروز خارج مدينة الخرج. pic.twitter.com/kIGJ8nQPgK

— وزارة الدفاع (@modgovksa) March 4, 2026

A federal judge has opened the door for thousands of businesses to receive refunds on tariffs that the US Supreme Court struck down last month.

In a ruling issued Wednesday, the US Court of International Trade directed Customs and Border Protection to return duties that had been imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a tariff program introduced by former President Donald Trump last year, as per Bloomberg reports.

Judge Richard Eaton wrote that “all importers of record whose entries were subject to IEEPA duties are entitled to the benefit” of the Supreme Court’s decision, clearing the way for widespread refunds to affected companies.

According to CENTCOM, US forces have now destroyed or sunk more than 20 Iranian regime vessels, as American strikes intensify and push deeper into Iranian airspace by the hour. The military said these ships were taken out using coordinated firepower across air, land, and sea, marking one of the most aggressive phases of the operation so far.

Over the past four days, the US command claims they have has also significantly reduced Iran’s offensive capabilities, with American forces claiming a 73% drop in drone launches and an 86% decline in ballistic missile launches from Iranian positions. 

More fake news from the Iranian regime:
🚫The regime claims U.S. forces are withdrawing.
🚫They say they sank a U.S. destroyer.
🚫IRGC claims to have taken down U.S. fighter aircraft.
🚫The regime says they killed 100 U.S. Marines.
ALL LIES.

Reality:
✅U.S. forces are… pic.twitter.com/X0P0X4VdTa

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 4, 2026

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States and Israel remain in a strong position as their conflict with Iran intensifies, insisting they will “keep moving forward” against the Islamic republic. He also claimed that potential successors to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “end up dead,” and asserted that Iran’s ballistic‑missile capabilities are being rapidly dismantled as the military campaign continues.

"We're doing well on the war front, to put it mildly. Somebody said on a scale of 10, where would you rate it? I said about a 15," Trump told a gathering at the White House. "We're in a very strong position now, and their leadership is just rapidly going. Everybody that seems to want to be a leader, they end up dead."