Middle East War: Iran seeks release of three pilots allegedly held by Qatar
The whereabouts of three Iranian pilots allegedly captured by Qatari forces during the Middle East conflict have become a fresh point of contention, with Tehran calling for their release. General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of Iran’s armed forces made the appeal in a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to the Fars news agency.
Bagherzadeh said the pilots – Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian — were captured after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the conflict and have been held by Qatari forces for six months.
He alleged that the pilots have not been allowed to meet or communicate with their families and urged the Red Cross to intervene to secure their release.
The development follows an announcement by Iran’s army last month that it had recovered the body of pilot Majid Kazemi, who was killed during an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in early March. Iran had previously reported the three other pilots as missing, without disclosing that they were allegedly being held by Qatari forces.
Al Udeid Air Base hosts forward elements of US Central Command, along with US air and special operations forces, and is the largest American military base in the region.
The wider conflict began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran across the region. An April ceasefire brought an end to nearly 40 days of fighting, while a framework for peace talks reached in June later collapsed.
Iran and the United States have since exchanged sporadic fire, particularly around southern Iran and the strategic Strait of Hormuz, although a pause in hostilities has been in place since late July.
The latest appeal comes as tensions between Iran, the United States and regional allies remain fragile, despite the relative calm in recent weeks.
