Qatar Denies Holding Three Iranian Bomber Pilots
Qatar has denied accusations from Iran that three pilots of an Iranian bomber were secretly detained after their aircraft was shot down during the conflict in March. The Qatari government stressed that it is not holding any surviving Iranian aircrew.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said Doha was surprised by statements from Iranian officials regarding the whereabouts of the pilots. “We are surprised by the misleading statements regarding the Iranian pilots amid ongoing diplomatic efforts,” Al-Ansari said, according to Al Jazeera Arabic on Saturday (15/8).
The statement from Doha came in response to Tehran’s demand that three Iranian pilots be released. General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian Armed Forces, in a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said the three pilots — Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian — were captured alive after their Su-24 fighter jet went down in Qatar in March.
According to Iran’s Fars news agency, Bagherzadeh said the three pilots had been held without communication for six months. They were reportedly denied access to their families and diplomatic representatives. Iran called for international humanitarian intervention to ascertain the whereabouts and condition of the three pilots.
Iran had previously acknowledged that one pilot was killed and several others were missing after carrying out a mission towards Qatar. However, the claim that three pilots were captured alive was only made publicly in the latest development.
Qatar confirmed that its air defence systems detected and made contact with the Iranian aircraft after an unauthorised violation of Qatari airspace in March. Qatar said its forces issued warnings but received no response. The aircraft then became a target of air defence fire.
Qatari search and rescue teams subsequently found the body of one pilot, Majid Kazemi. Qatar also coordinated with Iranian authorities to repatriate the remains.
The incident occurred amid an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest United States military facility in the region and home to US Central Command (Centcom) personnel.
In early March, Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said it had shot down two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers. If confirmed, the incident would mark a significant development in the conflict, as Qatar is the first Gulf state to report shooting down an Iranian aircraft.
The tensions followed the outbreak of conflict on 28 February. A series of retaliatory strikes then spread across parts of the Gulf.
A ceasefire reached in April with the help of Pakistani mediators temporarily halted major fighting. However, talks on a peace framework stalled again in June. Tensions have continued through sporadic clashes around the Strait of Hormuz as well as attacks on shipping and infrastructure in the region.
Amid its dispute with Iran, Qatar continues to play a mediating role and push for a resolution through negotiations between Iran and the United States.