Revolutionary Guard Says Resistance Missiles Downed US KC-135 In Iraq; CENTCOM Rejects Hostile Fire

US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that a US Air Force Boeing KC-135 aerial refuelling tanker crashed in western Iraq on the evening of 12 March, saying the loss "was not the result of 'hostile fire or friendly fire'" and that the aircraft went down while operating "in friendly airspace during the Epic Anger operation against Iran," with rescue efforts ongoing.

Flightglobal likewise reported the KC-135 went down in Iraq on the evening of 12 March and noted CENTCOM's statement that the incident "not caused by ether hostile action or friendly fire" while confirming the loss and ongoing rescue efforts.

Al-Jazeera Net

Iranian state media and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters told Iranian television that the US aircraft was shot down in western Iraq "by missiles of resistance factions," and claimed the deaths of its crew, presenting a direct contradiction to CENTCOM's rejection of hostile fire.

Al-Jazeera reported that Iranian television quoted the IRGC's statement asserting the shoot-down and confirming crew deaths, which contrasts with CENTCOM's denial as cited in Western reporting.

Al-Jazeera Net

Details about the fate of the crew and exact circumstances remain unclear and contested: Al-Jazeera cited a US official who told Reuters the KC-135 was carrying six soldiers, while Flightglobal stressed that "little is known about the circumstances of the incident or the fate of the aircraft and crew."

Both outlets note rescue operations were underway, underscoring the uncertainty and the lack of independent verification of the Iranian claim at the time of reporting.

Observers said the crash came amid an escalating confrontation between Washington and Tehran that has spread violence across the region, a context highlighted by Flightglobal which linked the downing to the broader conflict with Iran.

The competing claims — CENTCOM's rejection of hostile fire and the IRGC's attribution to "resistance factions" — raise the risk of further escalation depending on how US and regional actors respond, though reporting at the time stressed the provisional nature of available information.

Al-Jazeera Net