diff --git a/litellm/responses/streaming_iterator.py b/litellm/responses/streaming_iterator.py
index 2ecc95b7b32..9969073e2ae 100644
--- a/litellm/responses/streaming_iterator.py
+++ b/litellm/responses/streaming_iterator.py
@@ -5,9 +5,11 @@ import traceback
 from datetime import datetime
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
+import anyio
 import httpx
 
 import litellm
+from litellm._logging import verbose_logger
 from litellm.constants import (
     LITELLM_MAX_STREAMING_DURATION_SECONDS,
     STREAM_SSE_DONE_STRING,
@@ -89,6 +91,37 @@ class BaseResponsesAPIStreamingIterator:
             self.response.headers or {}
         )  # GUARANTEE OPENAI HEADERS IN RESPONSE
 
+    async def aclose(self) -> None:
+        """
+        Release the underlying httpx.Response back to the connection pool.
+
+        Safe to call multiple times; only the first call performs cleanup.
+        Shielded from anyio cancellation so cleanup awaits complete even when
+        the surrounding task is being cancelled (e.g. client disconnect).
+
+        Mirrors CustomStreamWrapper.aclose (see PR #21213) for the Responses
+        API path. Fixes #26250 — without this, client disconnects leak the
+        upstream connection until the pool is exhausted.
+        """
+        response = self.response
+        if response is None:
+            return
+        self.response = None  # type: ignore[assignment]
+        self.finished = True
+        with anyio.CancelScope(shield=True):
+            try:
+                if hasattr(response, "aclose"):
+                    await response.aclose()
+                elif hasattr(response, "close"):
+                    result = response.close()
+                    if result is not None:
+                        await result
+            except BaseException as e:
+                verbose_logger.debug(
+                    "BaseResponsesAPIStreamingIterator.aclose: error closing response: %s",
+                    e,
+                )
+
     def _check_max_streaming_duration(self) -> None:
         """Raise litellm.Timeout if the stream has exceeded LITELLM_MAX_STREAMING_DURATION_SECONDS."""
         if LITELLM_MAX_STREAMING_DURATION_SECONDS is None:
@@ -771,7 +804,6 @@ class MockResponsesAPIStreamingIterator(BaseResponsesAPIStreamingIterator):
 # WebSocket mode streaming (bidirectional forwarding)
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-from litellm._logging import verbose_logger
 from litellm.litellm_core_utils.thread_pool_executor import executor as _ws_executor
 
 RESPONSES_WS_LOGGED_EVENT_TYPES = [
diff --git a/tests/llm_responses_api_testing/test_base_responses_api_streaming_iterator.py b/tests/llm_responses_api_testing/test_base_responses_api_streaming_iterator.py
index e9181d810e1..b387d751fc4 100644
--- a/tests/llm_responses_api_testing/test_base_responses_api_streaming_iterator.py
+++ b/tests/llm_responses_api_testing/test_base_responses_api_streaming_iterator.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import os
 import sys
 from datetime import datetime
 from typing import Any, Dict, Optional
-from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, Mock, patch
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -583,3 +583,82 @@ class TestBaseResponsesAPIStreamingIterator:
             mock_logging_obj.async_failure_handler.assert_not_called()
             mock_logging_obj.failure_handler.assert_not_called()
 
+
+class TestBaseResponsesAPIStreamingIteratorAclose:
+    """
+    Tests for BaseResponsesAPIStreamingIterator.aclose() — ensures the
+    underlying httpx.Response is released back to the connection pool when a
+    stream is abandoned mid-iteration. See issue #26250 and PR #21213 for the
+    equivalent fix on the chat-completions path.
+    """
+
+    def _build_iterator(self, mock_response):
+        mock_logging_obj = Mock(spec=LiteLLMLoggingObj)
+        mock_logging_obj.model_call_details = {"litellm_params": {}}
+        mock_config = Mock(spec=BaseResponsesAPIConfig)
+        return BaseResponsesAPIStreamingIterator(
+            response=mock_response,
+            model="gpt-4",
+            responses_api_provider_config=mock_config,
+            logging_obj=mock_logging_obj,
+        )
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_aclose_calls_response_aclose(self):
+        """aclose() awaits response.aclose(), nulls self.response, and sets finished."""
+        mock_response = Mock()
+        mock_response.headers = {}
+        mock_response.aclose = AsyncMock()
+
+        iterator = self._build_iterator(mock_response)
+
+        await iterator.aclose()
+
+        mock_response.aclose.assert_awaited_once()
+        assert iterator.response is None
+        assert iterator.finished is True
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_aclose_is_idempotent(self):
+        """Calling aclose() twice only closes the response once."""
+        mock_response = Mock()
+        mock_response.headers = {}
+        mock_response.aclose = AsyncMock()
+
+        iterator = self._build_iterator(mock_response)
+
+        await iterator.aclose()
+        await iterator.aclose()
+
+        mock_response.aclose.assert_awaited_once()
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_aclose_swallows_close_errors(self):
+        """Errors from the underlying close are logged, not raised."""
+        mock_response = Mock()
+        mock_response.headers = {}
+        mock_response.aclose = AsyncMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("boom"))
+
+        iterator = self._build_iterator(mock_response)
+
+        # Must not raise — cleanup errors are swallowed so they don't mask
+        # the user's original exception path.
+        await iterator.aclose()
+
+        mock_response.aclose.assert_awaited_once()
+        assert iterator.response is None
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_aclose_falls_back_to_close_when_no_aclose(self):
+        """If the response exposes only close (not aclose), aclose() invokes close."""
+        mock_response = Mock(spec=["headers", "close"])
+        mock_response.headers = {}
+        mock_response.close = Mock(return_value=None)
+
+        iterator = self._build_iterator(mock_response)
+
+        await iterator.aclose()
+
+        mock_response.close.assert_called_once()
+        assert iterator.response is None
+