As the conflict in the Middle East continues, Iran has alleged that three of its pilot are being held by Qatar after being captured following their ejection from their aircraft, a claim that was immediately rejected by Doha.
In a statement on X (previously Twitter), Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said it had conducted a search for the missing pilots “to the fullest”. The remains of one of the pilots have also been handed over to Iran, he said.
“We categorically deny the claims circulating regarding the detention of Iranian pilots & are surprised by these misleading statements,” Ansari said. “Qatar also issued an invitation for an Iranian team to visit the 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.”
Despite this, Iran remained firm on its claim and demanded that Qatar must release the pilots whose fighter jets went down during its strike on US bases in the region. Notably, Iran had earlier claimed that one of its pilots was killed in March and some remained missing in Qatar; although their capture was never publicised.ย
“Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war,” Fars news agency quoted Iranian military’s General Mohammad Bagherzadeh as saying. “Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian have been held by Qatari forces for six months.”
Qatar has been involved in negotiating peace between Iran and the US. Despite this, it has come under fire, with Iran targeting the Al Udeid Air Base, which is the largest US base in the region that has forward components of US Central Command (CENTCOM).
In March, Qatar even claimed that two of Iran’s Sukhoi Su-24 bombers were shot down by its military. This was the first time when a Gulf nation accepted that Iranian jets were downed over its territory. However, it is not clear if the captured pilots are the same ones.ย
Meanwhile, the situation remains tensed in the Middle East, with the US and Iran failing to arrive on a consensus for a ceasefire. However, a report by Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has claimed that the Trump administration is considering ending the conflict without a nuclear deal if Iran decides to open the Strait of Hormuz.
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