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US military says all 6 airmen in refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq are dead

By The Associated Press, JON GAMBRELL, DAVID RISING, and MIKE CORDER
Alaska-Russian Jets This photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense shows a North American Aerospace Defense Command F-16 fighter refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker over western Alaska on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (U.S. Department of Defense via AP) (HO/AP)
By The Associated Press, JON GAMBRELL, DAVID RISING, and MIKE CORDER

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military says all six airmen aboard a refueling aircraft that went down in Iraq are dead. The announcement was made Friday. The military says the circumstances of the incident are being investigated.

A large explosion rocked an area of Iran’s capital where thousands were gathered Friday for an annual state-organized rally to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s demise. Israel had warned that it would target the area in central Tehran.

There were no immediate reports of casualties. But the decision to proceed with the mass demonstration that was attended by some senior government officials, and Israel’s threat to target the area, underscored the fierce determination on both sides nearly two weeks into a war that has rattled the global economy and shows no sign of letting up.

Iran has continued to launch widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf states, and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes, even as U.S. and Israeli warplanes pummel military and other targets across Iran.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday vowed to continue the attacks and keep the strait closed in his first public statement since succeeding his father, who was killed in the opening day of the war. Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over leadership and released a written statement.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Khamenei “is wounded and likely disfigured,” without providing evidence or elaborating. Israel suspects Khamenei was wounded at the start of the war.

With growing global concerns about a possible energy crisis and no end to the war in sight, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, remained over $100 per barrel. Brent prices have spiked as high as about $120 per barrel and are about 40% higher than when Israel and the United States launched the war on Feb. 28.

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