United States and Israel Continue Military Campaign in Iran as Global Oil Prices Surge

2026-03-28

The BareStory

The military conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran has entered its second month following the launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026. U.S. and Israeli forces have conducted thousands of airstrikes against Iranian military installations, naval assets, and government sites. The initial strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. In response, Iran has launched retaliatory drone and missile attacks against Israel, U.S. military bases, and regional energy infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of multiple American servicemembers.

The hostilities have severely disrupted global energy and shipping markets. Iranian forces have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime checkpoint, by targeting commercial vessels and reducing daily shipping traffic by over 90 percent. Consequently, global oil prices have surged, with the Brent crude benchmark rising above $112 per barrel. To mitigate the economic impact, the U.S. and allied nations have released hundreds of millions of barrels of oil from strategic reserves.

President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz, announcing a pause on U.S. strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure until April 6 to allow for negotiations. While the president stated that talks are progressing positively, Iranian officials previously denied that negotiations are taking place. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is deploying thousands of additional troops to the Middle East. The deployment has prompted concern among U.S. lawmakers regarding a potential ground invasion, leading some congressional members to prepare a war powers resolution aimed at restricting further military action.

The conflict has also drawn in regional actors. Yemen’s Houthi forces launched ballistic missiles toward Israel in stated support of the Iranian government, which the Israel Defense Forces reported successfully intercepting. Additionally, human rights organizations claim the sustained military campaigns have resulted in over 1,400 civilian casualties in Iran, while Lebanese officials report over 1,000 deaths in Lebanon amid expanded Israeli operations against Hezbollah.

Left Perspective

Halt the Human Cost
Block Ground War Creep
Expose the Escalation Trap

Right Perspective

Enforce Strategic Deterrence
Break the Economic Blockade
Neutralize Regional Proxy Networks

Left Perspective

• Halt the Human Cost Prioritizing the sanctity of life and international law, this perspective views the staggering civilian toll as the ultimate failure of militarism. The reported deaths of over 1,400 Iranian civilians and 1,000 Lebanese point to a disproportionate campaign that violates core humanitarian principles. The deaths of American servicemembers are similarly viewed as tragic, preventable outcomes of a hawkish posture rather than a necessary sacrifice for global security.

• Block Ground War Creep Valuing democratic oversight and institutional restraint, this camp interprets the Pentagon's deployment of thousands of additional troops as the dangerous precursor to an unwinnable ground invasion. The push by lawmakers to draft a War Powers resolution is championed as a vital democratic emergency brake against executive overreach. There is deep fear that military escalation will bypass congressional authority, dragging the nation into another endless Middle Eastern occupation.

• Expose the Escalation Trap Emphasizing diplomatic stability, this framework argues that kinetic strikes reliably produce blowback rather than compliance. The assassination of Ali Khamenei merely entrenched hardline succession through his son Mojtaba, while triggering retaliation that slashed Strait of Hormuz shipping by 90 percent and pushed Brent crude past $112. President Trump’s April 6 pause is viewed skeptically, with Iran's denial of talks indicating that military force has destroyed diplomatic channels while inflicting self-harm on the global economy.

Right Perspective

• Enforce Strategic Deterrence Prioritizing national security and regime disruption, this perspective views overwhelming force as the only language understood by hostile actors. Eliminating Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the initial wave of Operation Epic Fury is seen as a vital decapitation strike aimed at crippling a state sponsor of terror. Short-term retaliations resulting in U.S. casualties are accepted as the grim but necessary cost of dismantling a systemic, long-term threat to global stability.

• Break the Economic Blockade Valuing the unhindered flow of global commerce, this camp treats the weaponization of maritime chokepoints as an act of war demanding a dominant response. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz—choking shipping traffic by 90 percent and driving Brent crude over $112 a barrel—represents an intolerable threat to global prosperity. Pausing strikes until April 6 is interpreted as a tactical ultimatum, leveraging the credible threat of destroyed infrastructure to force Iran's hand.

• Neutralize Regional Proxy Networks Emphasizing "Peace through Strength," this framework interprets multi-front engagements as essential for dismantling a coordinated hostile axis. The mobilization of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the firing of intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles from Yemen prove that Iran's proxy network must be systematically crushed to protect allies like Israel. The deployment of thousands of additional U.S. troops is not viewed as overreach, but as the overwhelming power projection required to crush further regional aggression.

How it may affect me

As a U.S. reader:

• In the short term, you may experience higher prices for gasoline and everyday goods due to a 90 percent reduction in Strait of Hormuz shipping and crude oil prices rising above $112 per barrel, though the release of U.S. strategic reserves is intended to temporarily mitigate these costs.

• If you have family or friends in the armed forces, they face immediate physical risks from ongoing retaliatory strikes that have already caused American casualties, alongside the possibility of long-term deployments as the Pentagon sends thousands of additional troops to the region.

• You may see short-term legislative impacts in Washington as lawmakers draft a war powers resolution, a move that could directly determine whether the U.S. enters a long-term ground invasion by limiting the president's ability to escalate military action.

United States and Israel Continue Military Campaign in Iran as Global Oil Prices Surge

The BareStory

Left Perspective

Right Perspective

How it may affect me

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