Italian editors on March 4th shifted focus from the political transition in Tehran to the rapid dismantling of Iranian military assets. Early coverage centered on the confirmation of Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, as the new Supreme Leader and Iran’s defiant claim of control over the Strait of Hormuz. By early afternoon, the narrative transitioned to direct military confrontation beyond the Gulf. Media reported the sinking of the Iranian warship Iris Dena by a U.S. submarine near Sri Lanka and the NATO-led interception of an Iranian missile targeting Turkish airspace, a development that brought the conflict to the borders of a NATO member state. Evening headlines were dominated by reports of a significant tactical shift: the launch of a ground offensive by thousands of Kurdish fighters into Iranian territory. This land invasion, coupled with a total blackout in Iraq and U.S. claims that Iran’s naval and air capabilities had been neutralized, marked a new phase of the war.
