Qatar rejects Iran's claims of holding captured fighter pilots

Iran has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for help freeing three of its fighter pilots it claims are being held by Qatar. In a letter to ICRC chief Mirjana Spoljaric, Iranian Brig Gen Mohammad Bagherzadeh named the pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdul Majid Dashtian and Imran Behroshian, stating they have been in captivity for six months.

According to the general, the pilots ejected after their jets were struck by air defences during a combat mission near a Qatari military base, on the third day of the US-Iran war, 2 March 2026. He also confirmed that a fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, was killed during the same operation, and his body was later returned to Iran.

The letter accuses Qatar of violating the captured pilots' fundamental rights and of preventing them from contacting their families. Qatar has firmly rejected the claims, calling them misleading and expressing surprise at the statements.

Qatar's response

Qatari foreign affairs spokesperson Majed Mohammed Al Ansari said contact had been made with the pilots after they entered Qatari airspace, but no response had been received from them. He said the measures taken to defend Qatari territory complied with international law.

Al Ansari added that Qatar's search and rescue teams had made full efforts to locate the pilots' remains, and that Qatar had reached out to Iran to coordinate the handover of one recovered body. He said Tehran had not yet responded to an invitation to review details of the search and rescue operation.