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Laodicean Christian Sellout Amy Grant Glories In Her LGBT Fan Base

During her first gay press interview, the Grammy winner reflected on her loyal gay fan base, how she reconciles Christianity and homosexuality, and her “compassion” for gay marriage.

Published

12 years ago

May 6, 2014

Geoffrey Grider

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You know what’s so interesting, even when I was discovering my own sexuality and meeting people that had a different experience, I didn’t categorize then, and I don’t categorize right now.

Amy Grant loves receiving adoration, praise and financial reward from the lost and dying who attend her shows. She states that “it’s a honor” to perform at gay weddings. And never once does she open her mouth to tell her lost fans that without Jesus Christ they are on their way to Hell. This interview here, her first ever to the gay press, was an excellent opportunity to tell them about salvation in Jesus. She never mentions the Lord’s name one time. I wonder how that will play out at the Judgment Seat of Christ?

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV)

PrideSource – During her first gay press interview, and for an entire hour, the Grammy winner reflected – with her usual sincerity and thoughtfulness – on her loyal gay fan base, how she reconciles Christianity and homosexuality, her “compassion” for gay marriage and the unforgettable dinner she shared with out ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero.

When the biggest Christian music artist of all time is doing gay press, you know we’ve come a long way. Were you kept at bay from gay press beforehand, earlier in your career?

It never came up.

But you have obviously had a big gay following for quite sometime. Why have gay people connected to you in such profound ways?

All of us sometimes feel disenfranchised or, for whatever reason, like we’re just on the periphery or marginalized. People feel that for all kinds of reasons, and by the time you’ve lived any amount of life, I think anybody has had that experience somewhere. I remember doing concerts back in the early ’80s and going shopping with some of the singers that I was working with and one of them, Donna McElroy, had to get some makeup – and she’s African-American – and I said, “Hey, I’ll meet you back here.” I ran my errands and I came back and said, “Are you done?” She said, “No one’s waited on me.”

Christian singer Amy Grant happily receives the praise, adoration and financial benefits of her LGBT fan base, but she doesn’t have the guts to tell them that they are lost and headed to a Devil’s Hell.

Everybody is outside of some circle, but what I’ve always wanted to do is have a message of honesty and welcoming, and being willing to say this is the good, bad and the ugly. This is who I am. And if I’m saying that about myself, it’s like, jump in, the water’s fine. So I love that. I love that people connect to my music.

At this point in your career, are you at all concerned about people passing judgment on you for talking to gay press?

We all ultimately need to know that we’re loved, and I think it would be really crazy if you said, “I’m not going to talk to this group of people because someone’s looking on that’s not a part of the conversation and might have an opinion about it.” I mean, my whole life has been that. (Laughs) It takes all of our energy to navigate whatever road we’re on. What’s interesting is, this last year I was invited on Monday mornings to go to a woman’s house – also a songwriter, also a singer – and just have some time of quiet stillness all together. But her house wasn’t even quiet. There were workers there sometimes, or there was nowhere to get that was quiet.

As we were sitting there trying to get quiet, she said, “It never gets still, and so I’m not gonna get all rankled in my head. I’m just gonna say, ‘Well, there’s the noise of the person next door blowing off their driveway with that really load motor. There it is. There’s the sound of sirens going up and down the street.'” She said, “When we learn to observe without judgment, then we have the ability to observe and learn, or to observe and be.” And I said, “Do you know how exhausting it is to observe with judgment all the time? It’s just exhausting.” I have thanked her many times. We could all stand to hear that.

You came from a fairly strict religious upbringing, but it sounds like there’s been an evolution in the way you see people.

Well, I don’t know. When you say strict, that’s interesting. What do you mean by that? (Laughs) I mean, we went to church every Sunday morning, every Sunday night, every Wednesday night.

You’re right. I should say diligently religious.

Yeah. I remember when we moved to Texas and my parents went to this really, I guess, conservative church – a Church of Christ – and something incredible was happening within that church community. I remember seeing this transformation in my mom and dad. I was old enough to remember that. What I remember about our home after that was that it was welcoming … to everybody.

To black people? To gay people?

Just to people.

Did you ever feel that you had to reconcile your Christian faith with your acceptance of homosexuality?

That’s not my life experience. In the same way, if you put my shoes on, you would go, “I thought this experience was going to be one way and it was totally different.” None of us has any idea what somebody’s life experience is like.

amy-grant-promotes-wine-drink-pink-palmina

Amy Grant promoting wine on her Facebook page #drinkpink

Do you remember the first gay person you knew? Did you have a close gay friend?

Absolutely. But my first: maybe college. Someone might have just seemed theatrical or, I don’t know, effeminate, but when I was in high school – I graduated in ’78 – I had friends in high school who eventually said, “I’m living a gay lifestyle,” but they didn’t say it then. People were very private about their sexuality, period. Maybe not everywhere, but I just don’t remember, “I’m exploring this, I’m exploring that.”

When did you first know you had a gay fan base?

Probably by the time I was 18.

How did you know? Did a fan tell you his or her coming-out story?

No. Just from meeting people. I don’t know. I guess I’m kind of going, that was a long time ago. I’m 52. (Laughs) I’ve never even thought about it. It’s like saying, “There’s gray-haired people in the crowd, too.” If people come to my shows, this is what they say: “Wow, there are people of all ages and lifestyles in your crowd.” That’s what they always say. But then someone will come up and say, “You know, I saw a guy with a boa on,” and I’ll say, “Oh yeah, yeah, I’ve always had a big gay following.” (Laughs)

To me, I don’t give it a second thought. I remember the first time someone from the crew said, “I smell pot in the back of the crowd,” and I went, “Well, fantastic! Yay!” I’m so glad that just “people” are coming.

From photos I’ve seen and conversations I’ve heard, you seem to have established some close relationships with people in the Gay Friends of Amy Grant group on Facebook over the years. Can you describe your relationship with them?

When you’ve done something for a long time, there is a great familiarity that comes over the years. I will say that I have a couple of friends that I made – just because they came to shows for a long time – and I figure we must have some things in common because, of all the music we’re all attracted to, at least we share this music in common.

Weren’t you invited to perform at the wedding of one of your gay fans but couldn’t due to your schedule?

I was invited. I was honored to be invited. I have to tell you: Anytime somebody asks me to perform at a wedding, I say, “I do not have a good track record.” (Laughs) A lot of the weddings I’ve performed at, the marriages have ended poorly.

I recall seeing you perform with Melissa Etheridge for Lifetime’s “Women Rock!” special in 2000 and thinking, as a teenager struggling with his sexuality, “She’s performing with an openly lesbian performer; she’s throwing her gay fans a bone.”

You know what’s so interesting, even when I was discovering my own sexuality and meeting people that had a different experience, I didn’t categorize then, and I don’t categorize right now. It makes me realize that I don’t have any idea of what it would feel like every moment of my life to go somewhere and feel judged.

But you have felt judged, right? Judged for getting divorced. Judged for your pop crossover, even.

No, no. Do people from a distance have an opinion? Yeah, that’s human nature to have an opinion. Whatever was going on in a rag magazine, or whatever someone was saying behind my back or in a heated conversation, I was never in that circle. I wasn’t part of that conversation. I never, ever pursued one chat room. If there was an article or some argument – “I can’t believe you’re doing this” – I just never pursued it because I thought, “We don’t understand each other.”

There are a lot of times that I wind up in situations that I do not see eye to eye with somebody. And it doesn’t help to throw gas on the fire. Clearly they’re going to have their opinion. Carry on. And I’m gonna go do what I’m gonna go do.

I know you are not a political person.

Yeah, I’m not.

So how do you respond to people when they ask you about your feelings on gay marriage?

In the same way that I did not tell one person who I voted for. I don’t. I never talk about anything like that. I did tell Vince (Gill, her husband) the day after the election. (Laughs)

But I think my response is, I have had so many occasions in my life where I have felt really strongly about something – but that feeling has changed. Those feelings change about different situations, and so because I’m a public person – and because I want always to bring people together – I really do say this is a world that’s unfamiliar to me and I am always trying to observe with compassion.

This isn’t a cut-and-dry issue for you, then.

Well, nothing is cut-and-dry. You know, one of the most fascinating dinners I’ve ever spent sitting next to somebody I had not met was at a large function with my family. We were all seated with place cards; it was a large group and I introduced myself to the fellow next to me. It was Anthony Romero (executive director of the ACLU). I mean, we didn’t line up our views; I just said, “Oh my goodness.” And he said, “I think they probably thought this was going to be very funny having us sit next to each other.” (Laughs)

I just said, “Tell me about your life.” He asked me the same thing. He told me good things about his job and hard things about his job. It was two human beings that have had very different lifestyles sitting next to each other and sharing life. Given 10 choices, would Anthony and I choose the same things? Maybe so. Maybe not. But I felt so changed by that. And what I really felt was, well … I … (pauses)

What did you feel?

Well, I kept his card for a long time, and I hoped that our paths would cross again. I felt a lot of compassion for his parents, first-generation immigrants, and he described his childhood and what it was like. I went, “This makes total sense that he has invested his life coming to the aid of the people in his world that are disenfranchised because, for a whole different set of reasons, his parents were marginalized.”

And you found that inspiring?

Yes. You know what, we all face challenges in our life that we didn’t anticipate, and the most important thing is that we not face them alone. To me, if there’s anything that comes out of this conversation, in the same way that a relationship cannot be nurturing if it’s competitive, it’s this: When you don’t understand something, you can either default to judgment or you can default to compassion. Those take you down completely different roads.

Are you speaking about yourself?

Yeah, and that’s really … ahh, I’m just talking about life in general. This is interesting because I have never done an interview where it feels every question is saying, “Tell me I’m OK.” That’s what feels like the underlying energy behind the questions, and I’m just going, “That’s a powerful kind of energy” – and for different reasons. Maybe not sexuality. Because that’s what every person’s crying out for. Anyway, sometimes a good night’s sleep helps for more concise answers.

It’s just that we’re living lives that are different from each other. It’s like two people sitting at a dinner table having a long conversation. If you and I were facing each other at a different table and we walked away and somebody asked us to describe where we were, my entire view was behind your head. I mean, I’m gonna describe the place differently than you. That’s just true about all of life and really, I’m trying to listen and learn and in a way have a great opportunity to try to understand the fan base that comes to a show. I’m even more glad they feel welcome. Even more glad after this. Can I say one thing?

Of course.

I know that the religious community has not been very welcoming, but I just want to stress that the journey of faith brings us into community, but it’s really about one relationship. The journey of faith is just being willing and open to have a relationship with God. And everybody is welcome. Everybody. source – PrideSource

Related Topics:Amy Grant gay marriage Judgment Seat of Christ LGBTQ

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THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: For God So Loved The World

Published

23 hours ago

March 15, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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John 3:16 in your King James Bible gives you Paul’s gospel in a single verse and can save your soul in the time it takes to read it, and believe it!

One of the most amazing things about John 3:16, the verse that I got saved on 35 years ago, is that it makes the connection between John’s gospel and Paul’s gospel. John 3:16 shows us how to get saved in perfect harmony with 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Paul tells you what the gospel is, and John shows you how to apply it. Earlier in John 3, Jesus gives us the qualification for salvation in the Kingdom of God – Ye MUST be born again! In Acts 28, Luke tells us that our apostle Paul preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJB)

For whatever reason, and it honestly escapes me, many Bible believers fail or refuse to make this very important scriptural connection between Paul’s gospel and John’s gospel. Today we will make that connection so wonderfully clear and so gloriously plain that you’d have to work to miss it.

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SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: For God So Loved The World

For God So Loved The World

I. The Source Of Salvation: The Love Of God

John 3:16 (KJB)
“For God so loved the world…”

Key Points:

Salvation begins with God, not man.
The motive behind redemption is love, not human merit.
God’s love extends to the world, meaning all mankind.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (KJB)

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 (KJB)

II. The Gift Of Salvation: God Gave His Son

John 3:16 (KJB)
“…that he gave his only begotten Son…”

Key Points:

Salvation is a gift, not something earned.
The price of redemption was the Son of God.
Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son, unique and divine.

“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15 (KJB)

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” Ephesians 1:7 (KJB)

III. The Simplicity Of Salvation: Believe

John 3:16 (KJB)
“…that whosoever believeth in him…”

Key Points:

Salvation is offered to whosoever.
The condition is belief, not works.
Faith must be placed in Him—Jesus Christ.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:31 (KJB)

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJB)

IV. The Escape From Judgment: Should Not Perish

John 3:16 (KJB)
“…should not perish…”

Key Points:

Without Christ, man is already condemned.
Hell is the eternal destination for the lost.
Jesus Christ is the only escape from perishing.

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already…” John 3:18 (KJB)

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Revelation 20:14 (KJB)

V. The Promise Of Salvation: Everlasting Life

John 3:16 (KJB)
“…but have everlasting life.”

Key Points:

Eternal life is present possession for the believer.
Salvation is everlasting, not temporary.
This life is found only in Jesus Christ.

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” 1 John 5:11 (KJB)

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” John 6:47 (KJB)

Conclusion: The Greatest Invitation Ever Given

John 3:16 reveals five great truths:

God’s Love — The motive of salvation
God’s Gift — The Son given for sinners
God’s Condition — Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
God’s Warning — Perish without Christ
God’s Promise — Everlasting life

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 (KJB)

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (KJB)

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Romans 3:24-26 (KJB)

“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7 (KJB)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJB)

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (KJB)

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Donald Trump

The Middle East Powder Keg Is Exploding: Trump’s Iran War Spreads as More US Troops Die, Children Are Killed in School Blast, US Baghdad Embassy Is Hit

Published

2 days ago

March 14, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Trump Knew Iran Could Close the Strait of Hormuz But Went to War Anyway as 13 US Servicemembers Now Lie Dead and Missiles Strike US Embassy in Baghdad

War always begins with speeches about strength and victory, but it inevitably ends with funerals. Only weeks into Donald Trump’s war with Iran, the first grim receipts are already arriving. Thirteen American servicemembers are dead, a girls’ school in Minab lies in ruins with the bodies of children pulled from the rubble, and now missiles are landing inside the heavily fortified compound of the United States embassy in Baghdad. What was promised as an ‘easy victory’ against Tehran is already morphing into the kind of widening Middle East war that history tells us ends in heart-rending misery and unbelievable destruction.

“But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.” Daniel 11:44 (KJB)

When Trump ordered American forces into open conflict with Iran, he knew exactly what the risks were. Military planners had warned for decades that if Tehran ever felt cornered, the retaliation would not stay contained within Iran’s borders. It would spread through the region like fire through dry brush — through Iraq, through the Persian Gulf, and through the narrow choke point of the Strait of Hormuz. Now that warning is becoming a stark reality. In fact, things are so bad that Trump is now sending 5,000 US Marines to be the first boots on the ground to try and wrest control of the situation back out of the hands of the Iranians. Based on recent troop deployments and warship relocations, this war could easily last well into winter and beyond. I want very much to see the United States win this thing and get our troops home quickly, but things are not trending in that direction.

As of mid-March 13th U.S. servicemembers have been killed and others seriously wounded as the conflict intensifies. The number has climbed steadily as Iran-aligned militias across the region launch drones, rockets, and missiles at American positions. But the most haunting images of this war are not coming from a battlefield. They’re coming from the rubble of a school in the Iranian city of Minab.

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An explosion tore through the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school, collapsing the building and killing roughly 170 children and teachers, most of them young schoolgirls. Early reports say the blast was caused by a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile strike based on faulty intelligence, and the Pentagon has already announced an investigation. The result was one of the darkest moments of the conflict so far. Rows of small coffins, parents digging through concrete with bare hands, and classrooms turned into graves. Meanwhile the war itself continues to spread.

BREAKING NEWS: OPERATION EPIC FURY has struck a girl’s school in Iran, killing 51 children and wounding 60 more. This is an absolutely terrible start, and borders on the level of war crimes. The US and Israel need to issue an immediate statement and apology. pic.twitter.com/AIik2cPK6I

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) February 28, 2026

Iran has threatened to choke off the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply flows. If that waterway is closed, the economic shock would ripple across the entire planet almost instantly. And the violence is no longer limited to Iran.

Missiles have now struck inside the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad, a clear warning that Iran’s network of proxy militias across Iraq has entered the fight. Attacks like this are designed to do one thing: expand the battlefield and drag the United States deeper into the region. This is how Middle East wars spiral out of control in the blink of an eye. They begin with targeted strikes and promises of quick victories. But every retaliation demands another response, every escalation invites another counterstrike, and before long the conflict spreads far beyond the place where it started.

Trump saying that the war with Iran was won in the ‘first hour’. In reality, Operation Epic Fury has become an epic failure resulting in one dead US soldier per day on average. That’s not winning. @CENTCOM pic.twitter.com/CDrzT8eCpy

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) March 14, 2026

The Strait of Hormuz is now under threat. American forces across the Middle East are on high alert. Iranian proxy groups are mobilizing from Iraq to the Gulf. Missiles are hitting diplomatic compounds. And the war is still only in its opening weeks. History has shown us again and again that once wars in the Middle East begin to widen across borders, they become far harder to contain than the leaders who launched them ever imagined. And right now, the signs of that widening conflict are everywhere. Pray for our president that he would get saved, and then that the Holy Spirit would give him some much-needed wisdom and discernment because, if not, we’re going to find ourselves smack in the middle of World War Trump.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Donald Trump

BOOTS ON THE GROUND! President Trump Orders 5,000 Marines To Deploy To The Strait Of Hormuz As His War With Iran Grows Harder To Contain

Published

3 days ago

March 13, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Donald Trump has deployed thousands of US Marines to the Strait of Hormuz amid mounting fears that America is set to put troops on the ground as the world’s oil supply is strangled.

The Strait of Hormuz is not just another stretch of water on a map. It is the narrow artery through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil supply must pass, and when tension builds there the entire global system begins to shake. Now thousands of U.S. Marines and additional naval forces are being moved toward the region as the possibility of confrontation with Iran grows, and the world is once again staring at the Middle East powder keg. World War 3, anyone?

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:7,8 (KJB)

When America starts moving Marines and warships into position around the Persian Gulf, that is not routine diplomacy. That is the unmistakable language of military preparation. It means the Pentagon — the Department of War — is positioning pieces on the chessboard in case the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz erupts into open conflict. Iran knows exactly where the leverage is. If the regime in Tehran ever seriously attempts to choke off the Strait of Hormuz, it would send oil prices skyrocketing overnight and slam the global economy into chaos. That is why the United States has historically treated that narrow waterway as a line that cannot be crossed. The question now is whether the current escalation is a show of force meant to deter Iran, or the opening chapter of something much larger.

Every warship sent to the Persian Gulf, every Marine deployment, every rising confrontation between Iran, Israel, and the West pushes the world another step closer to the moment when the Middle East explodes into the final series of conflicts the Bible describes. But while the world watches the Strait of Hormuz and wonders if another war is about to begin, the born-again Church is watching for something else entirely.

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Trump deploys 5,000 Marines into Hormuz tinderbox as boots on the ground fears grow after 13 US troops die in Iran war carnage

FROM THE UK DAILY MAIL: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth approved a request by US Central Command for the deployment of a Marine expeditionary unit, typically including several warships and 5,000 troops, three officials told the Wall Street Journal. The Japan-based USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, and its attached Marines are now headed for the Middle East, where they join other Marines already in the fight, the officials said.

The war spiraled on Friday as the US death toll climbed to 13 troops, domestic gas prices soared to $3.60 per gallon and Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani defiantly taunted Trump on the streets of Tehran. The bolstered deployment comes as the Trump administration weighs seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, around 16 miles off the mainland in the Persian Gulf, which handles 90 percent of the Islamic regime’s fuel exports.

Trump told Fox News Radio Friday about taking control of the island: ‘It’s not high on the list, but it’s one of so many different things, and I can change my mind in seconds.’

Hegseth earlier lashed out at reporters at a press briefing at the Pentagon, slamming ‘fake headlines’ about the war and claiming ‘we’re dealing with’ the Strait, adding ‘you don’t need to worry about it.’ All six service members aboard a refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq were confirmed dead as the stalemate in the Strait deepened.

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker went down in western Iraq after a mid-air collision in friendly airspace at around 2pm ET Thursday, with four crew members initially confirmed dead.

US Central Command confirmed Friday that two further crew members died after rescue efforts failed. The second aircraft involved in the collision landed safely, sustaining minor damage to its tail. The six were not immediately identified as the military informed next of kin, bringing the US death toll in the Iran war to 13 after seven service members were killed in a drone strike on a Kuwaiti base on the second day of fighting. READ MORE