Iran Demands Release of Three Pilots Captured by Qatar

Iranian authorities have called for the immediate release of three Iranian pilots who were allegedly captured by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the Middle East conflict.

Iranian Armed Forces General Mohammad Bagherzadeh said the pilots — Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian — had been captured alive and held by Qatar for six months.

In a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross, Bagherzadeh urged Qatar to release the pilots, claiming they had not been allowed to contact or meet their families.

Iran had previously reported the pilots as missing. The development follows the Iranian military's confirmation last month that the body of another pilot, Majid Kazemi, had been recovered after he was killed during an attack on the US-linked Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Al Udeid is one of the largest US military facilities in the Middle East and hosts elements of US Central Command.

The conflict began on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, prompting Iranian retaliatory attacks across the region. Although an April ceasefire ended weeks of intense fighting, subsequent peace efforts collapsed.

Fighting has since continued intermittently, particularly around southern Iran and the strategic Strait of Hormuz, although a relative lull has been reported since late July.

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