Four US crew killed in Iraq plane crash as blasts rock Tehran during mass rally

 

The US confirmed the deaths after a refueling aircraft went down in Iraq, in an incident it said was “not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”

Here's the latest

• Plane crash: At least four US service members were killed when a refueling aircraft went down in Iraq. The US military said the incident was “not due to hostile fire” but an Iranian proxy group claimed responsibility. A second plane was damaged but then landed safely.

• New leader: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been “likely disfigured,” casting doubt on Khamenei first purported message released yesterday.

• Tehran blasts: A strike killed at least one person in Tehran, where explosions were reported near large crowds marking Al Quds Day, an annual international rally in support of Palestinians.

• War on land and sea: Fresh strikes have rocked the region, including more Iranian attacks on Gulf states. Sources told CNN the White House significantly underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to US-Israeli strikes. Hegseth waved off Iran’s actions in the crucial waterway, saying there’s no “need to worry about it.”