Iran claims that three of its pilots who disappeared after their aircraft were shot down during the war nearly six months ago are alive and being held by Qatar, prompting Tehran to call for international intervention and their immediate release. According to reports published Saturday, a senior Iranian armed forces official said the three pilots were captured by Qatari forces after the Su-24 aircraft they were flying were shot down during fighting in March.
The claim represents a dramatic change in Iran’s account of the pilots’ fate. For months, Tehran said it did not know what had happened to the aircrew. Iran now says it has information indicating that the three survived the shootdown and were taken into Qatari custody. Lt. Col. Mohammad Bakarzadeh, who heads an Iranian committee tasked with locating missing personnel, reportedly appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene. Iran is seeking access to the pilots and is calling for efforts to secure their release.
The incident dates back to March, when two Iranian Su-24 bombers reportedly flew toward Qatar. Reports at the time said their intended target was Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts American forces. Qatar said its forces shot down both Iranian aircraft.
The fate of the crews remained unclear for months. In June, a senior Iranian military official said four pilots had participated in the mission and that Tehran had initially been unable to determine what had happened to them. Iran later announced that the body of one pilot had been recovered and returned to the country, while the other three remained missing.
Iran is now offering a different account, saying the remaining three pilots survived and were captured by Qatari forces. Tehran has accused Qatar of holding the pilots without allowing them to communicate with their families or Iranian officials. The appeal to the Red Cross is intended to establish contact with the pilots and determine their condition and whereabouts.
The claim also raises questions about earlier statements from Iranian officials. In early August, an Iranian army spokesman was quoted as saying that Qatar had provided no information concerning the three missing pilots. There has so far been no new official statement from Qatar publicly confirming or denying Iran’s latest claim that the pilots are being held in custody.
The development comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Qatar. Doha has accused Tehran in recent months of carrying out strikes on Qatari territory and described them as a violation of its sovereignty, while emphasizing its right to respond under international law.
Nearly six months after the Iranian aircraft were shot down, the fate of the three pilots has now become a new point of tension between Tehran and Doha. Iran insists that the men are alive and being held in Qatar, but their location and condition have yet to be independently verified.