&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Iran urges Qatar to release pilots shot down in Middle East war; Doha denies detention")
Iran on Saturday demanded that Qatar release three Iranian pilots whom Tehran claims were captured after their aircraft crashed during the early stages of the Middle East war. General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of Iran's armed forces said Qatari forces captured the pilots alive after their Su-24 fighter jets went down during the conflict.
"Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war," Bagherzadeh said, according to Fars news agency.
In a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross, he identified the pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian. He claimed that Qatari forces had held them for months.
Qatar denies detention claim
Bagherzadeh called for their release, saying the pilots had not been allowed to meet or contact their families. Qatar rejected the allegation, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari saying on X:
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"We categorically deny the claims circulating regarding the detention of Iranian pilots & are surprised by these misleading statements."
Ansari said Qatari rescuers "carried out their duties to the fullest" while searching for the pilots. He said Qatar had "communicated with the Iranian side to coordinate the handover of the remains of one of the pilots who was found".
"Qatar also issued an invitation for an Iranian team to visit Qatar to be briefed on the details of the search & rescue operations in April, but the Iranian side has yet to respond to the invitation," he added.
Last month, Iran's military said it had recovered the body of pilot Majid Kazemi, who was killed during an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in early March. The base includes forward components of US Central Command (CENTCOM), along with its air forces and special operations forces.
Qatar's Defence Ministry said in early March that it had downed two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers. However, it was unclear whether those aircraft were the same ones mentioned in Iran's latest claim.
The fighting between the United States and Iran has remained in a lull since late July, although sporadic attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz have continued.
