Qatar Denies Holding Iran's Missing Fighter Pilots

Qatar firmly denied allegations on Saturday that it was holding missing Iranian fighter pilots who went missing during the US-Israeli war with Iran. The Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, expressed surprise at the misinformation and reiterated that the detention claims were baseless. He also stated that the remains of one pilot had been discovered and that Qatar had reached out to Iran for a handover of the bodies. However, Iran had not responded to the request, according to the spokesperson.

The denial came after Iran's Committee for Missing Persons at the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces released a statement alleging that Abdolmajid Dashtian, Omran Behraveshian, and Javad Salehi had been detained by Qatari forces for six months. General Mohammad Bagherzadeh, the head of the committee, claimed that the pilots were captured alive after their fighter jets crashed while on a mission targeting a military base in Qatar shortly after the start of the conflict in late February.

The general also alleged that Qatar had prevented the pilots from contacting their families or Iranian officials regarding their situation.

Iran responded to the US-Israeli attacks with a series of strikes across the region, including on US military facilities in the Gulf. On March 2, Qatar's Defense Ministry confirmed the downing of two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers, though it was uncertain if those aircraft belonged to the pilots now claimed to be held by Qatar. Qatar had previously condemned Iran for its reckless targeting of its territory.