HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
U.S. Sinks Iranian Naval Ship in Indian Ocean as War on Iran Enters 5th Day
Mar 04, 2026
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has entered its fifth day, with the U.S. and Israel launching new waves of intense bombing targeting Tehran and other areas. The reported death toll in Iran has risen to 1,045. U.S. forces say they have struck more than 2,000 targets since Saturday. Israel is also escalating its attack on Lebanon, where it has ordered mass evacuations.
Iran is continuing to retaliate by attacking Israeli and U.S. allies across the Gulf. Targets reportedly struck by Iran include the U.S. Embassy and CIA station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Consulate grounds in Dubai and a major U.S. air base in Qatar. Earlier today, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened the “complete destruction of the region’s military and economic infrastructure.”
A U.S. submarine has sunk an Iranian naval ship in the Indian Ocean off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Thirty people have survived but were seriously wounded; 140 others are still missing. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the attack–the first submarine torpedoing of a ship since World War II. This comes days after President Trump vowed to annihilate Iran’s navy.
Iran to Pick New Supreme Leader Following Assassination of Khamenei
Mar 04, 2026
Iranian officials are expected to soon pick a new supreme leader to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on Saturday at the start of the U.S.-Israeli attack. Israel has already announced Khamenei’s successor will become an “unequivocal target for elimination.” Israel has already bombed the Assembly of Experts building in Qom, where the decision was expected to be made.
On Tuesday, President Trump said U.S. and Israeli strikes have already killed off many possible future leaders in Iran.
President Donald Trump: “Well, most of the people we had in mind are dead. So, you know, we had some in mind from that group that is — is dead. And now we have another group. They may be dead also, based on reports. So I guess you have a third wave coming in. Pretty soon we’re not going to know anybody.”
CIA Reportedly Working to Arm Kurdish Militias to Spark Uprising in Iraq
Mar 04, 2026
CNN is reporting the CIA is now working to funnel arms to Iranian Kurdish militias in an attempt to spark an uprising in Iran. On Tuesday, Trump reportedly spoke to the president of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, which is considered a terrorist organization in Iran. Iranian forces have been launching drone strikes on Kurdish forces in northern Iraq.
After Classified Briefing, Senators Warn U.S. Could Send Troops into Iran
Mar 04, 2026
On Capitol Hill, Democratic senators are expressing alarm after receiving a classified briefing ahead of today’s war powers resolution vote. This is Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal: “I just want to say I am more fearful than ever, after this briefing, that we may be putting boots on the ground.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts posted this message online after the briefing.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren: “I just left a classified briefing on Iran, and here’s what I can say. It is so much worse than you thought. You are right to be worried. The Trump administration has no plan in Iran. This illegal war is based on lies, and it was launched without any imminent threat to our nation. Donald Trump still hasn’t given a single clear reason for this war, and he seems to have no plan for how to end it, either.”
Spanish PM Calls for Immediate End to U.S.-Israeli War on Iran
Mar 04, 2026
President Trump is threatening to cut off trade with Spain after the Spanish government refused to allow the U.S. to use naval and air bases in southern Spain to strike Iran. Earlier today, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the U.S.-Israeli war a disaster.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez: “We must learn from history and cannot play Russian roulette with the fate of millions of people. The powers involved in this conflict must immediately cease hostilities and commit to dialogue and diplomacy.”
Anti-U.S. Protests Continue in Pakistan Days After Marines Opened Fired During Protest in Karachi
Mar 04, 2026
In Pakistan, the U.S. has ordered some consular staff in Karachi and Lahore to leave Pakistan due to safety risks. Large anti-U.S. protests have erupted in recent days. Reuters is reporting U.S. Marines opened fire on Pakistani demonstrators who tried to storm the Karachi Consulate. Ten people were killed during the incident on Sunday. Anti-U.S. protests are continuing in Pakistan, which is home to the world’s second‑largest Shia community after Iran.
Jannat Bukhari: “We’re here today to protest the American-Israeli strike on Iran. In an act of sheer hypocrisy, they bombed a girls’ school, killing over 150 innocent children, while claiming to advocate for women’s liberation. We are here to condemn this atrocity.”
Report: U.S. Commander Told Troops “Trump Has Been Anointed by Jesus” to Wage War on Iran
Mar 04, 2026
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation says it has been inundated with over 200 calls from members of the U.S. military regarding religious comments made by U.S. commanders about the war in Iran. One combat unit commander reportedly said that the war is “part of God’s divine plan” and that “President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.”
Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invited the controversial Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson to lead the Pentagon’s prayer service. Wilson has opposed Muslims holding public office and does not believe women should be allowed to vote.
U.S. Deploys Special Forces to Ecuador in New Expansion of U.S. Operations in Latin America
Mar 04, 2026
The Pentagon has announced U.S. Special Forces are now in Ecuador to conduct joint military operations with Ecuadorian commandos to reportedly target suspected drug traffickers. The head of U.S. Southern Command and the top commander of U.S. Special Forces in Latin America met with Ecuador’s right-wing President Daniel Noboa in Quito on Monday. Last year, Noboa proposed a constitutional change to allow the U.S. to operate a military base in Ecuador, but voters rejected the proposal. The deployment of U.S. troops to Ecuador marks a new front in the Trump administration’s so-called Operation Southern Spear. Since September, the U.S. has blown up at least 44 boats in the region, killing at least 150 people. Without offering proof, the Trump administration has claimed all of the targets were drug traffickers.
Texas Primaries: Talarico Defeats Crockett; Cornyn, Paxton Headed to Runoff
Mar 04, 2026
The 2026 midterm campaign kicked off Tuesday with primaries in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas. In Texas, Democratic state legislator and former seminarian James Talarico is projected to have defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the closely watched Democratic Senate primary. Talarico spoke to supporters in Austin.
James Talarico: “This is a people-powered movement to take on this broken, corrupt political system. This is truly a campaign of, by and for the people.”
Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett decried voting disruptions in Dallas County, where hundreds of voters were reportedly turned away from polls.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett: “But I can tell you now that people have been disenfranchised. The reason that we knew that there were problems is because we were receiving the phone calls and the emails. The polls were supposed to stay open until 9, according to a court order. The Supreme Court, just a few minutes ago, just said, ‘Shut it down.’”
In the Republican Texas Senate primary, Senator John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton are heading for a runoff on May 26. Their race is already the most expensive Senate primary in history.
Meanwhile, Republican incumbent Congressman Dan Crenshaw lost his primary to Texas state Representative Steve Toth. Another Republican incumbent congressman, Tony Gonzales, has been forced into a runoff. Reports recently emerged that he had an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
In North Carolina, the match-up to replace retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis is now set. Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper will face off against Michael Whatley, a former Trump Republican National Committee chairman.
Noem Refuses to Apologize for Linking Renee Good and Alex Pretti to Domestic Terrorism
Mar 04, 2026
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified on Capitol Hill Tuesday. She was grilled about the killings by federal agents of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, but she refused to apologize for linking them to domestic terrorism. She was questioned by Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois.
Sen. Dick Durbin: “Can you explain why you decided to brand these victims, that we all saw on video, who were out protesting the activities of your agency and were killed as a result of it — how did you think that calling them domestic terrorists at that scene was somehow going to calm the situation?”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem: “You know, Senator, we are working in those situations where there’s a tragic loss of life and that there is something that our agents are involved in that we continue to deliver information” —
Sen. Dick Durbin: “Is it so hard to say you were wrong?”
Senator Amy Klobuchar questioned Noem about armed, masked agents in St. Paul, Minnesota, battering down the door of a home of a U.S. citizen from Laos — even though the agents didn’t have a warrant.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar: “Do you agree that it is unacceptable for your agents to ram into someone’s door and drag someone out in their underwear in below-zero temperatures when they have the wrong guy?”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem: “Our officers conduct targeted operations and utilize the law processes that are given to them and the tools” —
Sen. Amy Klobuchar: “You will not answer that you think that’s wrong?”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem: “They needed to identify that individual. And that individual” —
Sen. Amy Klobuchar: “They couldn’t identify him by looking at his identification? Instead, they had to drag him out, throw him in a car and drive him around for an hour?”
Haitian Asylum Seeker with Infected Tooth Dies in ICE Custody in Arizona
In Arizona, a Haitian asylum seeker has died in ICE custody after being held for four months at the Florence Correctional Center. One local official said the man, Emmanuel Damas, had died after not getting timely medical care for an infected tooth. He is at least the 10th detainee to die in ICE custody so far this year.
Father of Accused School Shooter Convicted of Murder for Giving Gun to His Son
Mar 04, 2026
In Georgia, the father of an accused school shooter has been convicted of second-degree murder for giving his teenage son an AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas gift. Colin Gray’s son, who was 14 at the time, is accused of using the gun to kill two students and two teachers at a high school in Winder, Georgia, in 2024. Prosecutors accused the father of ignoring his son’s emotional problems, including his obsession with school shooters.