The conflicts in the Middle East have entered in the 2nd week and  the humanitarian disaster in Iran and Lebanon appears catastrophic. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, a total of 3.2 million people have been displaced in Iran since the U.S. and Israeli strikes began on February 28, 2026. Residents in cities such as Karaj have complained of a "suffocating" environment of terror, which has seen the internet go dark, fuel lines form, and threats from regime paramilitaries. In Lebanon, so far 687 people have died, including 98 children because of Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets. Economically, the world is feeling the pinch as oil prices have risen past $101 a barrel in response to threats from Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to close the Strait of Hormuz. While Trump claims that the United States stands to benefit from high oil prices as one of the top producers of oil in the world, economists have stated that in the long run, the high oil prices will harm the United States.