U.S. launches rescue efforts after KC-135 military refueling plane crashes over Iraq
A U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft flies over Tel Aviv on March 4, 2026.
Jack Guez | Afp | Getty Images
A KC-135 military refueling plane was lost while flying over Iraq in an incident “not caused by enemy or enemy fire,” the US military said on Thursday.
US Central Command said in a statement that the incident involved two aircraft and occurred in friendly airspace. It was stated that one of the planes crashed in western Iraq and the other landed safely.
“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury and recovery efforts are ongoing,” US Central Command said, referring to the war against Iran that has led to retaliatory strikes by Tehran in the Middle East.
It was not clear how many US soldiers were on the crashed KC-135 refueling plane.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a group of militias in the country, claimed responsibility for shooting down the US plane in a statement published on its Telegram channel.
This is the fourth reported aircraft loss since the start of the Iran war, after three F-15 fighter jets were shot down by friendly fire from Kuwaiti air defenses.
Cost of KC-135 $39.6 million in 1998 It is normally used to refuel other aircraft in mid-air, according to the U.S. Air Force.
USA will ‘apologize’
The plane loss came after Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani said Tehran would “regret” the United States for starting a war in Iran.
Larijani said, “Trump says he is looking for a quick victory. Although it is easy to start a war, it cannot be won with a few tweets.” he said. In a post on X Friday early.
His statement followed statements by Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei that the Strait of Hormuz maritime passage should remain closed as “a tool to put pressure on the enemy”.
In television comments translated by Reuters, Khamenei also said that all US military bases in the Middle East should be closed immediately and warned that “these bases will be attacked”.
Despite US President Donald Trump’s claims “We won” in Iran More foreign ships were hit in the Persian Gulf on Thursday as war was said to end “very soon”.
Iran also accused the United States of destabilizing regional security and warned that oil prices could rise to $200 per barrel, Iranian military command spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari said on Wednesday: According to Reuters.
— CNBC’s Sam Meredith and Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.
