Four crew killed in U.S. refueling plane that crashed in Iraq, Pentagon says

The U.S. confirmed Friday morning that four crew members were killed when a KC-135 military refueling plane was lost while flying over Iraq.

Officials had earlier said the incident was “not due to hostile or enemy fire.”

In a statement early Friday morning, the U.S. Central Command said the aircraft went down in western Iraq.

“Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue,” it said. “The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”

The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified, the statement added.

Earlier, U.S. Central Command said two aircraft were involved, and that the accident occurred in friendly airspace.

The second landed safely, the U.S. Central Command added.

“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury,” the U.S. Central Command said Thursday, referring to the war against Iran, which led to retaliatory strikes by Tehran across the Middle East.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a group of militias in the country backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the downing of the U.S. aircraft in a statement posted on its Telegram channel.

This is the fourth reported aircraft loss since the Iran war started, 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 U.S. Air Force, is normally used to refuel other aircraft in mid-air.

The aircraft loss comes after Trump hinted that the war would not end soon.

“We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time,” he said in a Truth Social post overnight, before calling on his followers to “watch what happens” to the Iranian regime on Friday.

Meanwhile, Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, said Tehran would make the U.S. “sorry” for starting the war in Iran.

“Trump says he is looking for a speedy victory. While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets,” Larijani said in a post on X early Friday.

His statement followed remarks by Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, that the Strait of Hormuz maritime passage should remain closed as a “tool to pressure the enemy.”

Khamenei also said all U.S. military bases in the Middle East should close immediately and warned that “those bases will be attacked,” in televised comments translated by Reuters.

Despite U.S. President Donald Trump claiming that “we won” in Iran and that the war will end “very soon,” more foreign ships were struck in the Persian Gulf on Thursday.

Iran also warned that oil prices could climb to $200 a barrel, accusing the U.S. of destabilising regional security, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s military command, said Wednesday, according to Reuters.

— CNBC’s Sam Meredith and Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.