What Happened Between 4:00 and 6:00 AM on 03.05.2026. The Iran War in Two Hours

Iranian Drones Strike Nakhchivan Airport and a School — Baku Warns of “Retaliatory Measures”

In a dramatic escalation beyond the main theater of war, Iranian drones struck Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave on Thursday. One drone crashed into the terminal building of Nakhchivan International Airport, while another landed near a school in the village of Shakarabad, injuring two civilians. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to lodge a formal protest and issued a statement “strongly condemning” the attack, adding that Baku “reserves the right to take necessary retaliatory measures.” Iran has not acknowledged targeting Azerbaijan. The incident underscores how Tehran’s increasingly erratic retaliatory strikes are spreading the conflict well beyond the Persian Gulf.

Pentagon Confirms: U.S. Submarine Sank Iranian Frigate IRIS Dena With a Single Mark 48 Torpedo.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly confirmed that a U.S. Navy submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka, calling it a “quiet death” and the first sinking of an enemy warship by torpedo since World War II. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the submarine used a single Mark 48 torpedo to send the warship to the bottom of the sea. At least 80 crew members are believed dead, with over 100 still missing. Hegseth declared that the U.S. has “effectively neutralized Iran’s major naval presence” and that more than 20 Iranian ships have now been destroyed, including their top submarine. The White House said its goal is to completely eliminate Iran’s navy.

War Powers Resolution Fails 47–53 — Only One Republican Voted to Stop the War.

The U.S. Senate rejected a war powers resolution aimed at forcing President Trump to seek congressional approval for continued military operations in Iran. The vote was 47–53, with Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky as the sole Republican voting in favor, and Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania as the only Democrat voting against. The resolution, co-sponsored by Senators Tim Kaine and Rand Paul, was Congress’s first formal vote on the conflict. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the vote as a choice between standing with war-weary Americans or following Trump into “another forever war.” Hegseth warned that the operation is “just getting started” and could now last up to eight weeks.

Iranian Missile Launches Down 86%, Drone Strikes Down 73% Since Day One.

Top U.S. General Dan Caine revealed that the volume of Iran’s ballistic missile launches has plummeted 86% and drone strikes have dropped 73% since the first day of the war. Analysts attribute the decline to both the depletion of Iranian missile and launcher stockpiles and a deliberate strategy of rationing for a longer war. Hegseth said the U.S. and Israel expect to achieve “complete control of Iranian skies” within days, meaning Iranian leaders will be “looking up and seeing only us and Israeli air power every minute of every day.” He added: “We are accelerating, not decelerating. Iran’s capabilities are evaporating by the hour.”

Israel Launches New Strikes on Tehran as Death Toll Passes 1,230 — Khamenei Funeral Postponed.

The Israeli military announced new strikes on Tehran Thursday morning as the war entered its sixth day, with explosions reported across the capital and in Karaj, Isfahan, and Qom. An Israeli jet shot down an Iranian fighter in what the IDF described as the first air-to-air combat kill of a piloted aircraft in the conflict. The death toll in Iran surpassed 1,230, according to the latest figures. Meanwhile, the three-day state funeral for slain Supreme Leader Khamenei was abruptly postponed — a blow to a regime struggling to project stability. Iran’s Assembly of Experts said it was close to selecting a successor, with Khamenei’s son Mojtaba emerging as the frontrunner. Israel warned that any new supreme leader would be “an unequivocal target for elimination.”