Iran has openly demanded the release of three pilots it claims were seized by Qatar following an air defence strike that struck Iranian fighters on a Qatari military base in early March 2026.
Brigadier General Mohammad Bagherzadeh, writing in a letter to International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) chief Mirjana Spoljaric, named the three men—Javad Salehi, Abdul Majid Dashtian, and Imran Behroshian—as captives held for half a year. The letter also noted that a fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, was killed during the same operation and his body was returned after the incident.
In response, Qatar’s foreign affairs spokesperson Majed Mohammed Al Ansari rejected the claims outright, describing the accusations as "misleading statements". He stated that Qatar had shot down the jets as a defence of its airspace, acts it defended as "necessary measures in accordance with international law". Qatar further mentioned it had been conducting search‑and‑rescue efforts for the missing pilots and had coordinated with Iran to recover remains.
While Iran accuses Qatar of violating the rights of the pilots, Qatari officials emphasize the operation was a defensive response to a breach of its sovereignty and that they complied with international norms during rescue. The dispute underscores the heightened tensions and complex diplomatic dynamics in the Middle East following the U.S.–Iran war’s commencement.
