People walk past damaged buildings following a strike on a police station, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 4, 2026. (Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA/REUTERS)

In a sign of the conflict's expanding reach, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US submarine strike hit an Iranian vessel off Sri Lanka's southern coast, thousands of kilometers from the Gulf, as fighting paralyzed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz for a fifth day, choking off vital Middle East oil and gas flows.

A Sri Lankan official identified the boat as the frigate IRIS Dena, saying it had been heading back to Iran from ⁠eastern India. Local authorities said 32 people had been rescued while 87 bodies had been recovered. About 60 sailors were unaccounted for from the estimated 180-strong crew.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday its aircraft had struck a compound in eastern Tehran housing all Iran's security bodies, including the Republican Guard, intelligence, and cyber warfare.

Meanwhile, Iran has announced that the 3-day state funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, had been postponed due to unprecedented crowds expected to attend the ceremony. 

A new NBC News poll showed 54% of US voters disapprove of the Trump administration’s handling of Iran. 52% say the US should not have taken the military action.