On March 13, the Pentagon confirmed that all six crew members died in a KC-135 tanker crash over Western Iraq during 'Operation Epic Fury' directed against Iran. While pro-Iran Iraqi militants claimed they shot down the plane, the Pentagon denied it was due to hostile fire. On March 30, Spain closed its airspace to US planes involved in operations against Iran and announced that US military bases in Rota and Morón would not be used for these operations. On April 3, a US fighter jet was downed in Iran, and a search for the crew is ongoing.
