• US military refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday.
• Iran-backed group claims ​responsibility for downing US aircraft.
• At least 150 US troops wounded so far in US-Israeli war on Iran.
  

WASHINGTON: All six crew members aboard a US military refuelling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq are confirmed to have been killed, the US military said on Friday.

A US military refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, in an incident the military said involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.

The deaths add to the seven US service members who have already been killed as part of US operations against Iran which began on February 28.

“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” a statement from US Central Command said.

A US official told Reuters that the second aircraft involved in the crash, which landed safely, was also a military refuelling aircraft known as the KC-135.

The United States has deployed a large number of aircraft into the Middle East to take part in operations against Iran and the incident highlights the risk of not just operations, but of refuelling aircraft in the air.

The KC-135, built by Boeing BA.N in the 1950s and early 1960s, has served as the backbone of the US military’s air refuelling fleet and is critical to allowing aircraft to carry out missions ​without having to land.

Meanwhile, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions claimed ​responsibility for downing the US military refuelling aircraft.

Reuters reported on ​Tuesday that ⁠as many as 150 US troops have been wounded in the US-Israeli war on Iran. News of the crash comes the same day two US sailors were injured after ⁠the ​USS Gerald Ford suffered a non-combat-related fire on ​board.

The first seven US troops were killed when a drone slammed into a US military facility in Port ​Shuaiba, Kuwait.

President Donald Trump and other senior officials have warned that the Iran conflict will result in more US military deaths as Tehran retaliates against US and Israeli strikes.

Carnival Cruise Line has suddenly announced cancellations for more than one month of sailings for its most popular vessels.

The announcement dashed the vacation plans of thousands of passengers who had booked their holidays for fall 2026.

According to the officials, the scrapped sailing includes 11 three- and four-night Baja Mexico cruises aboard the Carnival Firenze.

The cancellation will directly impact the bookings between October 12 and November 16, 2026. Affected departure dates are October 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, and November 2, 6, 9, 13, and 16.

The official cancellation notification states: “We have made some changes to the itinerary plans for Carnival Firenze, and unfortunately, your cruise has been cancelled.”

The cancellation comes as the cruise giant faces mounting pressure over the exploitation of crew members. The allegations include overcrowded living quarters, unsafe drinking water, and wages as low as $2.50 per hour on its ships operating in Australian waters.

Although the Carnival emphasised that the cancellation of Carnival Firenze is not linked with labour controversy, the timing couldn’t be worse for a company under siege.

Last week, SafeWork NSW and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) were physically blocked from boarding the Carnival Adventure in Sydney as they tried to assess whistleblower reports of “horrifying crew conditions.”