Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has denied Iran’s claim that three Iranian pilots are being held in secret detention after their aircraft were shot down during hostilities in March. Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on Saturday that Qatari forces were not holding any surviving aircrew and described the Iranian statements as misleading.
The dispute follows a public appeal by Iranian armed forces General Mohammad Bagherzadeh to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Iran says the pilots were captured alive and have been held without contact with their families or diplomatic representatives for six months.
What Iran says happened
Bagherzadeh identified the alleged detainees as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian. In a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross, he urged international humanitarian intervention and sought the pilots’ release, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.
Iran had previously said that one pilot was killed and others were missing after a mission to Qatar. The claim that three pilots were captured alive had not previously been publicised, according to the source material.
Related coverage: Trump says US will claim Strait of Hormuz after Iran war.
Qatar’s account of the March incident
Doha said Qatari air-defence forces made contact with aircraft after an unauthorised breach of Qatari airspace in March. Qatar said the forces engaged the aircraft after receiving no response to warnings.
Search-and-rescue teams later recovered the remains of one pilot, identified as Majid Kazemi, and coordinated with Iranian authorities to repatriate the body. Qatar’s Defence Ministry had reported shooting down two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers during the incident.
The dispute comes amid wider diplomatic strain
The military engagement occurred during an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts personnel from the United States Central Command. The incident formed part of retaliatory strikes across the Gulf after hostilities began on February 28.
More context: Iran links Strait of Hormuz reopening to US concessions.
An April ceasefire temporarily halted major combat, but peace-framework talks collapsed in June. Sporadic clashes near the Strait of Hormuz and renewed attacks on regional shipping and infrastructure followed. Qatar remains involved as a mediator seeking a negotiated settlement between Iran and the United States.
What happens next
A 60-day negotiating window established under a mid-June memorandum of understanding expires on Monday, with few direct talks reported. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed to a trickle, according to the source material.
The pilot dispute adds diplomatic friction as the wider peace effort faces difficulties. Iran also rejected United States President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he might declare the Strait of Hormuz United States territory; Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the waterway could not be seized by a social-media post or an aircraft carrier and warned that Iran would continue its blockade until Washington accepted what he called the reality of defeat.
Also read: Two ADNOC vessels attacked in Strait of Hormuz, UAE says.
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