Qatar denies capturing Iranian fighter pilots, calls claim misleading

Qatar has categorically denied Iranian claims that it is holding three captured Iranian air force pilots, calling the allegations "misleading" and timed poorly amid diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said on X that authorities established contact with the pilots after they violated Qatari airspace, but received no response. He said Qatar took “necessary measures” under international law to defend its territory, and that the matter was clarified through official channels at the time.

Iran’s Fars News Agency had reported that General Mohammad Bagherzadeh, commander of the Search Committee for the Missing of the Armed Forces, identified the three pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdol-Majid Dashtian and Emran Behrushian. Bagherzadeh claimed they had been held for six months and called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to be granted access to them. The Iranian commander alleged the pilots were not allowed to meet each other or contact their families. Qatar said search teams recovered the remains of one pilot, Majid Kazemi, and handed them over to Iran.

The incident dates to March, when Iran launched strikes against the US base at Al Udeid in Qatar during the wider conflict that began in late February. Iran’s army had previously described some pilots as missing. Qatar said it invited an Iranian team in April to review search and rescue operations, but that Tehran had not responded to date. A lull in fighting has been in place since late July.