Operation Epic Fury Enters Second Week Amid Massive Displacement and Calls for Funding Caps

Operation Epic Fury has entered its second week with a rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis. The United Nations Refugee Agency reported on March 13 that 3.2 million people have been displaced within Iran due to the U.S.-Israeli military campaign. In Tehran, a woman was killed by shrapnel during an al-Quds Day rally following a joint airstrike near the demonstration site. Despite the growing displacement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to sustain the bombardment of both Iran and Lebanon, asserting that the regional landscape has fundamentally changed. In Washington, President Trump signaled an intensification of the campaign, advising the public to "watch what happens" in the coming days. However, the administration faces significant domestic pushback, as more than 250 organizations have urged Congress to reject the Pentagon's $50 billion supplemental funding request for the conflict. Simultaneously, the U.S. military confirmed the deaths of four service members following the crash of a KC-135 refueling aircraft in western Iraq. While pro-Iranian groups claimed to have shot down the plane, U.S. Central Command has denied those reports. Regional tensions remain high as Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first public directive to maintain the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and called for the closure of U.S. bases across the Middle East. To mitigate the economic impact of the war, the Trump administration has notably eased restrictions on Russian oil sales to stabilize soaring global energy prices. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth characterized the Iranian leadership as "desperate," alleging that the new Supreme Leader has been wounded in the ongoing strikes.