Iran urges Qatar to release pilots shot down in Middle East war

Iranian authorities have informed Qatar that three of Tehran's pilots, who were shot down during the Middle East war, are still being held captive, urging the Gulf state to release them. General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces revealed that the pilots, Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian, have been in Qatari custody for six months.

The pilots' families have not been allowed any contact with them. In a letter addressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross, Bagherzadeh appealed for their release, emphasizing that the pilots have been prevented from meeting or contacting their loved ones. Qatar's foreign ministry has yet to comment on the matter. Earlier this month, Iran's military announced that they had recovered the body of Majid Kazemi, the pilot killed in the attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in early March.

The base, which houses US Central Command (CENTCOM) and its air forces, is considered the largest US military installation in the region. In early March, Qatar's defense ministry reported downing two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers amid retaliatory attacks following US and Israeli strikes that initiated the war. This marked the first time a Gulf country reported shooting down an Iranian plane since the conflict began on February 28.

Diplomatic efforts culminated in an April ceasefire, followed by the signing of a framework for peace talks in June, although those talks later fell through. Iran and the US have since engaged in sporadic clashes, primarily in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz. Since the truce's breakdown, Qatar has reported attacks on its territory and a Qatari tanker intercepted in the strait, even as it intensified efforts to broker a negotiated end to the conflict alongside Pakistan.

Despite a lull in fighting between the US and Iran since late July, sporadic attacks on vessels in the Hormuz continue.