U.S-Israeli strikes continue across Iran, Iranian drones hit Azerbaijan

The U.S. and Israel said they conducted new strikes inside Iran overnight, targeting ballistic missile launchers. Iran claimed it struck a U.S. oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf. U.S-Israeli strikes continue across Iran, Iranian drones hit Azerbaijan March 5, 20266:09 AM ET By NPR Staff Iranian nationals arrive in Turkey after passing through the Razi-Kapiköy border crossing in Van, northeastern Turkey, on March 3, a day after Turkey and Iran have mutually suspended day-trip crossings at their border as Israeli-U.S. strikes continued to pound the Islamic Republic. Ali Ihsan Ozturk/AFP/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Ali Ihsan Ozturk/AFP/Getty Images The war with Iran continued to widen Thursday as Azerbaijan, a key U.S. ally, said drones launched from Iran hit an airport in its Nakhchivan region, while U.S. and Israeli forces struck more targets inside Iran. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said it demanded an explanation after the drones crashed into the airport's main terminal building and another landed near a school, injuring two civilians. Also on Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed in a statement that its naval forces struck an American oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf. The U.S. made no immediate comment. Sponsor Message The claim comes as the fighting has disrupted commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy corridors. Traffic through the normally busy route faded in the first days of the conflict, after Iran declared it closed and attacked some ships that attempted to cross through it. U.S. Central Command and Israel's military said they conducted new strikes inside Iran overnight. The Israeli military said Thursday its air force dismantled an armed ballistic missile launcher near the city of Qom that it said was ready to fire at Israel. It also said it struck an Iranian air defense system in Ishfahan. Since the attacks began, more than 920 people in Iran have been killed, according to the Iranian Health Ministry, including Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hundreds of people at a girls' school. China urges return to negotiations, names envoy With the conflicting widening, China urged Tehran and Washington to return to negotiations as the war around Iran unnerves global energy markets. China is the world's largest importer of oil and gas and has seen crude prices jump by 10% while natural gas prices have risen even higher. Ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — through which about a fifth of the world's crude oil and natural gas typically passes — has all but dried up. Sponsor Message China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, told Saudi Arabia's foreign minister "the indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable," and that non-military targets should not be attacked. China on Thursday said it would dispatch Zhai Jun, who has served in the Middle East as a Chinese envoy since 2019, to the region to help mediate the conflict. But the foreign ministry didn't provide more details or say specifically which countries the envoy would visit. Iran's foreign minister says the U.S. will "bitterly regret" sinking Iranian warship Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, accused the United States of escalating the conflict after the sinking of an Iranian naval vessel in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sri Lanka. In a post on X Thursday, Araghchi called it an "atrocity at sea," and warned the U.S. would "bitterly regret" sinking the frigate Dena, which he said was a guest of India's navy and was struck in international waters without warning. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday the U.S. was behind the sinking of the Iranian vessel and said the ship, which was hit by a U.S. submarine, was the first to be downed by a torpedo since World War II. Sri Lanka's navy said it rescued 32 people and recovered 87 bodies from the sea where the ship sank, The Associated Press reported. The U.S. has deployed 50,000 troops, more than 200 fighter jets and two aircraft carriers in the region, according to U.S. officials. CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper said this week that U.S. and Israeli strikes have hit about 2,000 targets and severely degraded Iran's air defenses and missile-launch infrastructure. Hegseth to Israel's Defense Minister: 'we are with you' In an overnight call, Israel's Defense Minister said Hegseth praised the partnership between the U.S. and Israel in the war against Iran. Sponsor Message During the call, Katz said he expressed condolences for the six U.S. service members killed since the start of the war, and said Israel would continue to do everything possible to help ensure the safety of American troops. Katz's office said Hegseth urged Israel to "go all the way – we're with you." Also on Wednesday, a U.S. official told NPR that a U.S. warship in the eastern Mediterranean shot down an Iranian missile that was heading toward Turkey. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Iran's armed forces on Thursday denied firing any missile at Turkey and said it respected the country's sovereignty. More than 80,000 displaced in Lebanon, Qatar