Iran demands Qatar release of three pilots after alleged capture, Qatar denies

Qatar Denies Holding Iranian Pilots As Tehran Demands Answers Over Missing Airmen Via The Cradle Qatar has denied that it is holding three Iranian pilots who Iran says were captured alive after their fighter jets crashed during the US-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic. On Saturday, Mohammad Bagherzadeh, head of the Missing Persons Search Committee of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff, stated that “Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after the Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the March attacks.” He identified the captured pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian. via Associated Press Iran is urging the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to investigate the condition of the pilots. In a statement to the ICRC, Bagherzadeh said that the pilots "have been held by Qatari forces for six months" and have not been allowed to contact their families. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari denied the claims, saying Qatar is not holding any Iranian pilots. "We categorically deny the claims circulating regarding the detention of Iranian pilots," Ansari said in a statement posted on X. Iranian officials were making "misleading statements" at a sensitive moment for regional diplomacy, he added. Doha acknowledged shooting down two Iranian Su-24 fighter planes in March as they attacked the Al-Udeid Air Base, the largest US military base in West Asia and home to US Central Command (CENTCOM) personnel. Qatar said its search and rescue teams located the body of one Iranian pilot, Majid Kazemi, following the incident and had coordinated with Iranian authorities to return the body, in accordance with international humanitarian law. Qatar added that it had invited Iranian officials to visit the country to obtain details of the search-and-rescue operation, while claiming Iran had not yet responded to the invitation. Amid the dispute, Qatar says it remains actively engaged as a mediator between the US and Iran and is pushing for a negotiated settlement to the war. Negotiations are at a standstill, with Iran insisting the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US agrees to its terms. Meanwhile, the US Navy is continuing its blockade on Iranian ports. "After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," Trump hyperbolically claimed on Friday. "Essentially, that's what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to." Iran urges the International Red Cross to intervene and secure the release of three Iranian pilots who have been held captive by Qatari forces for the past six months after air defenses struck their Su-24 jets during a retaliatory mission. Follow: https://t.co/gqNNnUKfG0 pic.twitter.com/K5CmPCGLiU — Highlights (@highlightsnews1) August 15, 2026 Tehran rejected the remarks on Saturday. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that the strategic waterway "cannot be seized with a tweet, nor with an aircraft carrier." He warned that Iran would continue to enforce its closure of Hormuz until Washington accepts “the reality of defeat.” Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil and gas exports normally travel, in response to the unprovoked US-Israeli attack on the country in February. Iran's closure of the strait caused a global energy supply shock that drove up gas prices, exacerbated inflation, and raised alarms about oil reserves across the world. Tyler Durden Mon, 08/17/2026 - 03:30

Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian have been held by Qatari forces for six months, said General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces

Tehran says Doha is holding three pilots whose aircraft went down early in the Middle East war.

Iranian authorities revealed on Saturday that three of Tehran’s pilots who went down early in the Middle East war were still being held in Qatar, calling on the Gulf state to release them. Iran had previously reported one pilot killed and others missing after a sortie to Qatar in March, but news of their alleged capture was not publicised at the time. “Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war,” said General Mohammad...

"Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war," said General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces, Fars news agency reported

Last month, Iran's army said it had retrieved the body of Iranian pilot Majid Kazemi, who was killed during an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in early March.

Last month, Iran's army said it had retrieved the body of Iranian pilot Majid Kazemi, who was killed during an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in early March. The post Iran calls for release of pilots captured in Qatar during Middle East war appeared first on Vanguard News.