Iranian media reported Sunday that a military official said Qatar should allow an Iranian team to enter the country to investigate the fate of three Iranian pilots whom Tehran says are being held there. Brigadier Mohammad Bagheri Zadeh, head of the committee searching for missing persons at Iran's armed forces general staff, said air force personnel and a fact-finding team have been waiting for months to enter Qatar, accusing Qatari officials of repeatedly obstructing the investigation and preventing the pilots from returning to Iran, the Tasnim news agency reported.
Qatar "categorically" denies detaining Iranian pilots. According to a post on X by Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari, the pilots were contacted after breaching Qatari airspace, and after following rules of engagement, "necessary measures were taken to defend our territory in accordance with international law," which was explained through official channels at the time.
According to Iranian state media, Bagheri Zadeh said three Iranian pilots — Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Imran Birahani — were captured alive after ejecting from two Sukhoi-24 fighter jets during a combat mission on March 2, 2026, after their aircraft were hit by enemy fire. In a message to the International Committee of the Red Cross, he said the Qatari government has not allowed these individuals to meet with or contact their families or officials following their case for six months, and demanded Qatar permit an Iranian air force fact-finding team to enter the country.
Bagheri Zadeh called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to meet with the Iranian pilots, assess their health condition, and facilitate their release. Last month, the Iranian military confirmed the recovery of the body of pilot Majid Kazemai, who was killed during an attack on al-Udeid air base in Qatar in early March. Iran had previously reported the three pilots as missing without disclosing information about their detention.
