A U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker air-refueling aircraft flies over Tel Aviv on March 4, 2026.
Jack Guez | AFP | getty images
The US confirmed Friday morning that four crew members of a KC-135 military refueling plane were lost while flying over Iraq.
Officials had earlier said the incident was “not hostile or due to enemy fire.”
In a statement Friday morning, US Central Command said the plane crashed in western Iraq.
“Four of the six crew members on board have been confirmed dead as rescue efforts continue,” it said. “The circumstances of the incident are being investigated. However, the loss of the aircraft was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire.”
The identities of the service members are being kept secret until 24 hours after next of kin are notified, the statement said.
Earlier, US Central Command had said that two aircraft were involved in the accident and that the accident occurred in friendly airspace.
US Central Command said the second landed safely.
“This incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, which led to retaliatory strikes by Tehran throughout the Middle East,” US Central Command said Thursday, referring to the war against Iran.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a group of militias in the country backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the downing of the US plane in a statement posted on its Telegram channel.
It is the fourth aircraft loss since the start of the Iran war, when three F-15 fighters were shot down by friendly fire from Kuwait’s air defenses.
KC-135, which is worth $39.6 million in 1998 According to the US Air Force, it is commonly used to refuel other aircraft in mid-air.
America will be ‘saddened’
The loss of the plane came after Trump indicated that the war would not end soon.
“We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and ample time,” he said in a Truth Social post overnight, before calling on his followers to “see what happens” with the Iranian regime on Friday.
Meanwhile, Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani said Tehran would “regret” the US for starting a war in Iran.
“Trump says he’s looking for a quick victory. While it’s easy to start a war, it can’t be won with a few tweets,” Larijani said. in a post on x Friday morning.
His statement came after Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said the Strait of Hormuz sea route should remain closed as a “tool to exert pressure on the enemy.”
Khamenei also said that all US military bases in the Middle East should be closed immediately and warned that “those bases will be attacked” in televised comments translated by Reuters.
Despite US President Donald Trump’s claims “We won” in Iran. and that the war will end “very soon”, as more foreign ships were attacked in the Persian Gulf on Thursday.
Iran accuses the US of destabilizing regional security and warned that oil prices could reach $200 a barrel, Ebrahim Zolfkari, a spokesman for Iran’s military command, said on Wednesday. According to Reuters.
— CNBC’s Sam Meredith and Holly Elliott contributed to this report.