The Pentagon insists the incident with Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker was unrelated to “hostile or friendly fire”
Published 11 Mar, 2026 22:43
| Updated 13 Mar, 2026 03:16
FILE PHOTO © USAF / Getty Images
The US Department of War has launched a rescue operation following an unexplained “loss” of a KC-135 refueling aircraft in the “friendly airspace” of Iraq, as Tehran and its allied militias continue their retaliatory strikes against Israeli and American military assets in the region.
The crash of the KC-135 Stratotanker has become the fourth officially confirmed loss of a US manned aircraft over the past 13 days of the ongoing Operation Epic Fury. Three F-15E Strike Eagles were downed in an alleged “friendly fire” incident over Kuwait on March 1.
Iranian media claimed that the jet was downed by pro-Tehran militias, who also attacked a Kurdish base in Iraq earlier in the day, injuring six French troops. President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that one soldier died.
Meanwhile, Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that the strategically important Strait of Hormuz would remain shut to hostile nations until the US and Israel pay reparations for the damage inflicted on his country.
Brent futures soared above the $100 mark on Thursday, with global oil markets remaining highly volatile even as the US temporarily lifted its sanctions on some Russian oil shipments.
Here are the latest developments as RT continues to bring you up to date:
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In his first public address, Khamenei announced that Tehran will seek restitution from the US and Israel, threatening to forcibly seize or destroy the aggressors’ assets in case of refusal.
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The Iranian Foreign Ministry accused the European Union of being complicit in the “US and Israeli aggression, brutalities, and atrocities,” after the bloc imposed a fresh batch of sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
- At least two oil tankers were hit near Iraq’s Umm Qasr port early on Thursday, while the port of Salalah in Oman continued to burn overnight. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain also reported strikes on their oil facilities. Oman evacuated vessels from Mina Al Fahal as a precaution.
- US President Donald Trump claimed Iran has been “virtually destroyed,” but said he does not plan to end the campaign early, insisting the Strait of Hormuz remains “in great shape.”
- A Pentagon probe into the strike on a primary school in Minab that killed 168 children reportedly found that outdated US targeting data on a nearby IRGC facility likely caused the attack.
- The IDF intensified strikes in Lebanon after Hezbollah coordinated attacks with Iran’s IRGC, hitting a Beirut refugee camp. The total death toll in Lebanon now exceeds 634.
- Western banks began closing Middle East branches after Iran threatened financial institutions in retaliation for the strike on Tehran’s state-owned Bank Sepah, which handles military and IRGC payrolls.
- The FBI has warned the California authorities that Iran planned to launch drone strikes from an unidentified vessel off the West Coast, but local officials have downplayed the alert. Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X: “while we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency.”
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
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13 March 2026
03:13 GMT
Despite multiple attacks on oil tankers earlier this week, President Donald Trump has reiterated his claim that vessels seeking to traverse the Strait of Hormuz must “show some guts” and simply go through.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. They have no Navy and we sunk all their ships,” the president claimed in an interview with Fox’s Brian Kilmeade scheduled to air Friday.
- 02:58 GMT
Several powerful explosions were felt in the Iranian capital Tehran, with residents of the city’s eastern districts “reporting their houses shaking,” according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
One of the attacks reportedly hit the Red Crescent Society’s relief post at the Tehran-Qom toll station, injuring three aid workers. “We came to the side and I was thrown off the ground by the third wave,” one of the wounded told Mehr News.
- 02:44 GMT
The lifting of US sanctions will affect some 100 million barrels of Russian oil currently in transit, according to President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.
“The United States recognizes the obvious: without Russian oil, the global energy market cannot remain stable,” Dmitriev wrote in a Telegram post. “Against the background of the growing energy crisis, further easing of restrictions on Russian energy sources looks increasingly inevitable, despite the resistance of part of the Brussels bureaucracy.”
Dmitriev traveled to the US at Putin’s request to attend a working group meeting on economic cooperation between Moscow and Washington and to discuss “the current crisis in global energy markets.” Earlier on Thursday, he thanked US special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and White House senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum for a “productive meeting.”
- 02:28 GMT
At least 30 people were injured after a suspected missile strike hit a building in Zarzir in northern Israel’s Galilee region, according to Israeli media reports. Emergency crews rushed to the scene as rescue teams searched the damaged structure and treated the wounded.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that two people were hurt by shrapnel while most others sustained minor injuries from shattered glass. Six victims, including two children aged 12 and 13, were taken to hospital for treatment.
- 02:16 GMT
Tehran has released footage of the 44th wave of missiles launched as part of its retaliatory Operation True Promise 4, allegedly targeting Israeli military positions in Kiryat Shmona and Haifa, as well as US assets across the region, including those linked to the US Fifth Fleet.
- 02:06 GMT
An umbrella group of Iran-allied armed factions in Iraq has claimed that it not only downed a KC-135 but also targeted a second US refueling aircraft. The Pentagon insists none of its jets were lost due to enemy fire.
“The Islamic Resistance fighters in Iraq targeted with the appropriate weapons during the past twenty-four hours a second KC-135 aircraft belonging to the American occupation in western Iraq, the crew of which managed to escape after being injured and made an emergency landing at one of the enemy airports,” the group said in a statement.
The militants also claimed that the entire crew of the first Stratotanker has been killed, as the Pentagon has yet to reveal details of the ongoing search and rescue operation or even say how many people were on board.
The US Department of War has not revealed the type of the second aircraft involved in the “incident,” but according to CBS News it was another KC-135 tanker that eventually landed in Israel. An unverified photo, allegedly taken at a Tel Aviv airfield and circulated by Sabereen News, appears to show some damage to the jet’s tail.
- 01:28 GMT
President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed that a French soldier was killed in a drone attack on a military base in Iraq’s Erbil region, which also left at least five others wounded.
“Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins from Varces died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq,” Macron wrote on X. “To his family, to his brothers in arms, I want to express all the affection and solidarity of the Nation.”
The French president condemned the strike as “unacceptable,” distancing Paris from the broader regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
“The war in Iran cannot justify such attacks,” he said, insisting that the French military presence in Iraq “is part of the strict framework of the fight against terrorism.” Over 900 French troops are deployed in the country as part of the US-led mission launched over a decade ago to “degrade and destroy” the Islamic State terrorist group.
The French leader did not specify who was responsible for the attack, but according to the Kurdish regional government, the attack on a Peshmerga base was carried out by pro-Iran militant groups.
- 01:04 GMT
The US Treasury has temporarily lifted its sanctions on Russian oil shipments that had been loaded on tankers before March 12, to address the global energy crisis triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
The notice from the Office of Foreign Assets Control authorized almost “all transactions… that are ordinarily incident and necessary to the sale, delivery, or offloading of crude oil or petroleum products of Russian Federation origin loaded on any vessel” – including sanctioned tankers. Any transaction or activity involving Iran will remain banned. The waiver is set to last until April 11.
.@POTUS is taking decisive steps to promote stability in global energy markets and working to keep prices low as we address the threat and instability posed by the terrorist Iranian regime.To increase the global reach of existing supply, @USTreasury is providing a temporary…
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) March 12, 2026
Brent futures soared above the $100 mark on Thursday, despite the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) decision to release 400 million barrels from its emergency reserves. Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, also warned that the strategically important Strait of Hormuz would remain shut to hostile nations, following several attacks on tankers overnight.
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India says it doesn’t need US permission to buy Russian oilRussia had 130 million barrels loaded on tankers at sea as of March 6, according to data analytics firm Kpler. However, India has since reportedly purchased some 30 million barrels of that oil, after the US granted it a separate 30-day waiver last week.
- 00:36 GMT
The French military has confirmed that six of its troops were wounded and taken to the nearest hospital following a drone attack on a military base in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
French soldiers are not involved in the US-Israeli attack on Iran and were merely “engaged in training activities on counterterrorism with Iraqi partners,” a member of the general staff told AFP.
- 00:28 GMT
Saudi Arabia’s air defenses have intercepted at least 29 drones that breached the country’s airspace over the past two hours, according to multiple brief statements by the Defence Ministry.
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11 March 2026
21:40 GMT
“Over the past 11 days, our military has virtually destroyed Iran,” President Donald Trump told a rally in Hebron, Kentucky. “We don’t wanna leave early, do we? We gotta finish the job!”
- 22:01 GMT
The IRGC has published footage showing ballistic missiles soaring into the sky as it launched a new wave of attacks – in coordination with Lebanon’s Hezbollah – against Israel and US military assets in the region.
- 22:40 GMT
An oil tanker has reportedly been hit by a drone in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Basra, Iraq, according to local channels. Videos shared online show massive bursts of fire engulfing an unknown vessel.
Massive oil tanker fire reported in the northern Persian Gulf tonight after an Iranian attack. pic.twitter.com/gEmg4s1Plc
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 11, 2026
- 22:47 GMT
A second oil tanker is reportedly on fire in the northern Persian Gulf near the port of Umm Qasr in Iraq’s Basra province. Footage shared by witnesses shows the vessel engulfed in flames and leaking burning oil.
Additional footage of the two oil tankers struck by Iran in the northern Persian Gulf tonight, both reportedly loaded with Iraqi oil.The tankers have been completely engulfed in flame, and are leaking burning oil. pic.twitter.com/wX2sNYZXuB
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 11, 2026
- 22:57 GMT
The IDF has announced yet another “wide-scale wave of strikes in Tehran,” just hours after the IRGC launched its own retaliatory strikes on Israel in coordination with Hezbollah.
- 23:08 GMT
Two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil have come under “unidentified attacks” and been set on fire inside Iraqi territorial waters, a port official told Reuters.
- 23:09 GMT
The crew has been safely evacuated from at least one of the distressed vessels off Iraq, according to monitors and videos of the rescue operation.
- 23:23 GMT
The IRGC has claimed full control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and has vowed to continue its attacks on US military bases in the Middle East.
“The Strait of Hormuz is under constant surveillance by our forces. Our enemies have no right to pass through it, and our attacks will continue broadly using missiles and drones,” said IRGC spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari.
“A large number of American forces have been killed and wounded in attacks on US bases,” he added. The Pentagon has confirmed that only seven US service members have died and approximately 140 have been wounded during the conflict with Iran so far.
- 23:41 GMT
A suspected Iranian drone struck a high-rise building in Dubai, UAE, shortly after residents received emergency alerts on their cell phones urging them to seek shelter in the nearest secure building and stay away from windows.
“Civil Defence teams have brought a minor fire in the building under control. No injuries have been reported so far,” Dubai Media Office said in a post on X.
Authorities have fully brought the fire under control, and all residents are safe. No injuries have been reported. pic.twitter.com/0WTqLurwPX
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 11, 2026
- 23:56 GMT
The IDF says it has launched a major aerial campaign against Hezbollah infrastructure across Lebanon, with ground troops guiding airstrikes that dismantled dozens of launchers ready to fire and killed numerous Hezbollah operatives.
Within a 30-minute window, the IDF allegedly struck 10 “terror structures” in the Dahieh area of Beirut, targeting intelligence headquarters, a Radwan unit command center, and other military facilities. The IDF says it is acting in response to Hezbollah’s decision to “deliberately attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime.”
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