A U.S. KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on March 13, 2026, killing all six crew members aboard, according to the Pentagon. U.S. officials confirmed the crash was not caused by hostile fire. The deaths bring total U.S. military fatalities in the Iran war to 13, a toll reported by both Fox News and NPR.

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — who U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as "wounded and likely disfigured" from earlier strikes — issued his first public statement since taking power, vowing to maintain Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The closure has driven Brent crude oil above $100 per barrel, a price level confirmed by Fox Business and CNN Business alike.

The U.S. and Israel have now struck more than 15,000 targets across Iran over 13 days, per Pentagon figures cited by both Fox News and NPR. The strikes have hit Tehran, Shiraz, Ahvaz, and Beirut. Iranian military and government casualty counts exceed 1,300, with an additional 687 killed in Lebanon and 12 civilians killed in Israel from Iranian strikes, according to reporting confirmed across outlets.

The White House said the current campaign remains an air operation. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to categorically rule out ground troops, saying only they are "not part of the current plan right now." Congress has not formally voted to authorize the war under the War Powers Act, a procedural question raised by multiple senators from both parties.