Four of six personnel aboard a US military refuelling aircraft have been confirmed dead after it went down in western Iraq, according to the United States Central Command (Centcom).
Search and rescue operations remain underway after the crash of the KC-135 Stratotanker, the command said, adding earlier that neither hostile nor friendly fire had been responsible for the aircraft’s downing.
The tanker had been supporting ongoing US operations against Iran and was one of two aircraft involved in the situation. The second plane landed safely without incident.
The Boeing-produced aircraft are capable of refuelling jets midair and usually play a crucial role in US military missions. They were widely deployed during the Gulf War to extend the operational range of fighter jets and bombers.
Centcom said the incident occurred around 14:00 ET (19:00 GMT) on Thursday and that the cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
The US military command added that the identities of the personnel who died would be withheld for 24 hours so their next of kin could be informed.
Dan Caine, chair of the US Joint Chiefs, told reporters on Friday that the aircraft had crashed “while the crew was on a combat mission”.
“We’re still treating this as an active rescue and recovery operation,” he said.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the aircraft’s crew members as “American heroes”, emphasising that their “sacrifice will only recommit us to the resolve of this mission”.
The KC-135 normally carries a crew that includes a pilot, co-pilot and a boom operator tasked with managing the aircraft’s refuelling arm.
Centcom earlier said the crash occurred over friendly airspace, though the area of Iraq where it happened is known for the presence of pro-Iranian militias. Iran’s military later claimed on state television that an allied group had struck the plane with a missile.
Thursday’s crash raises the official US military death toll in the US-Israel war with Iran, which started about two weeks ago, to 11.
The US military has now lost at least four aircraft during the ongoing war.
Earlier this month, three F-15 Eagle jets were shot down in “an apparent friendly fire incident” over Kuwait, officials said. All six crew members managed to eject safely.
Boeing built the KC-135 Stratotanker for the US military during the 1950s and early 1960s.
It has remained a key component of the US military’s aerial refuelling fleet, allowing combat aircraft to undertake longer missions without needing to land.
Separately, Israel’s military said on Friday that it had launched a new “wide-scale wave of strikes” targeting Iranian infrastructure across Tehran.
Explosions were later reported in and around the Iranian capital.
The development followed a decision by the United States to ease sanctions on other countries purchasing Russian oil already loaded on vessels at sea in an attempt to limit the economic impact of the US-Israel war with Iran.
Oil prices climbed above $100 per barrel again on Thursday, while stock markets declined after three additional cargo vessels were struck in the Gulf and Iran’s new supreme leader vowed to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global shipping route.
US President Donald Trump has suggested the war could end “very soon” since oil prices surged, while also indicating the US might “go further”.
Meanwhile, France’s military announced on Friday that a drone attack killed a French soldier, identified as Arnaud Frion, and injured six others at a Kurdish military base in northern Iraq the previous day.
It said the soldiers had been deployed at the base to train Iraqi forces.
