Iran Accuses Qatar of Holding Three Su-24 Pilots Captive While on Mission to Destroy Oil Refineries

Iran says Qatar has been holding three Iranian pilots captive for nearly six months after shooting down two Iranian Su-24MK bombers during a mission near Al Udeid military base.

Iranian newspaper Hamshahri reported the claim.

General Seyyed Mohammad Bagherzadeh, head of Iran’s Armed Forces Committee for Missing Persons, made the allegation in a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

He identified the pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian. The general also said that a fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, was killed.

He said the men were flying the Su-24s during an operation on March 2, just days after the war began, when the aircraft were shot down and the pilots ejected.

Doha said that its search-and-rescue teams recovered the remains of one pilot after Iranian aircraft violated Qatari airspace in March and failed to respond to attempts to contact them.

“We categorically deny the allegations that Iranian pilots are being detained and are surprised by these misleading claims at this particular time, amid ongoing diplomatic efforts and initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said.

The spokesperson said that Qatar also invited an Iranian delegation to visit the country in April and review the details of the search-and-rescue operations, but the Iranian side has yet to respond to the invitation.

“Qatar has not allowed the detainees to meet or communicate with their families or with the officials handling their cases,” Seyyed Mohammad Bagherzadeh wrote.

He called on the Red Cross to meet with the pilots, check on their condition, and help secure their release as soon as possible.

The organization has not yet commented.