Iran’s accusing Qatar of holding Iranian pilots an attempt to ‘flip narrative,’ analyst to 'Post'

Iran has accused Qatar of holding three Iranian pilots shot down during attacks on Gulf states, in an attempt to "flip the narrative" on Tehran's "failed military gamble," according to Gulf analysts. The Iranian Armed Forces General Staff wrote to the International Committee of the Red Cross to help secure the release of the pilots, who they claim have been held by Qatar since a failed mission to attack US military bases in March.

However, Qatar has denied holding the pilots, stating that search-and-rescue teams found the remains of one pilot and have contacted Iran to coordinate their handover. Analysts believe Iran's accusation is a miscalculation, as it aims to recast itself as the victim and distract from the reality of its failed strategy.

Brief written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.