A US Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft flies over Tel Aviv on March 4, 2026.
Jack Guez | AFP | fake images
The US military said Thursday that a KC-135 military refueling aircraft was lost while flying over Iraq in an incident that “was not due to hostile or enemy fire.”
US Central Command said in a statement that the incident involved two aircraft and occurred in friendly airspace. One of the planes crashed in western Iraq and the second landed safely, he added.
“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing,” US Central Command said, referring to the war against Iran, which has prompted retaliatory attacks by Tehran across the Middle East.
It was unclear how many U.S. service members were aboard the KC-135 refueling plane that crashed.
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 published on its Telegram channel.
This is the fourth aircraft loss reported since the war with Iran began, after three F-15 fighters were shot down by friendly fire from Kuwait’s air defenses.
The KC-135, which cost $39.6 million in 1998 according to the US Air Force, is typically used to refuel other aircraft in the air.
America will regret it
The loss of the plane comes as Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, said Tehran would make the United States “regret” starting the war in Iran.
“Trump says he’s looking for a quick victory. While starting a war is easy, it can’t be won with a few tweets,” Larijani said in a post on X early Friday.
His statement followed statements by Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, that the Strait of Hormuz sea passage should remain closed as a “tool to pressure the enemy.”
Khamenei also said that all US military bases in the Middle East should close immediately and warned that “those bases will be attacked,” in televised comments translated by Reuters.
Despite US President Donald Trump’s claim that “we won” in Iran and that the war will end “very soon”, more foreign ships were attacked in the Persian Gulf on Thursday.
Iran also warned that oil prices could rise to $200 a barrel, accusing the United States of destabilizing regional security, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesman for Iran’s military command, said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
— CNBC’s Sam Meredith and Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.
