A photograph released by the US Navy shows observers, including US chief negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, watching air operations on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 7, 2026. (Credit: Hannah Tross /US navy/AFP)
A U.S. military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, in an incident U.S. Central Command said involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.
The United States has surged a large number of aircraft into the Middle East to take part in operations against Iran.
In a statement, U.S. Central Command said it was carrying out rescue efforts after the U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down. The second aircraft landed safely.
"The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing," the statement said, using the name of the U.S. operation against Iran.
Since the U.S. and Israel started carrying out strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, seven U.S. troops have been killed.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that as many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
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