Qatar has firmly rejected Iranian assertions that it is holding three fighter pilots captured after their jets were shot down during a military strike on a Qatari base at the outset of the US-Iran war. Iranian Brig Gen Mohammad Bagherzadeh wrote to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) demanding the release of the men, whom he named as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian, saying they had been detained for six months. Qatar's foreign ministry described the allegations as false and misleading.
According to a report from Al Jazeera, Qatar issued a fresh statement on 15 August 2026 stating it "categorically" denies holding any Iranian pilots and again dismissed the claims as misleading.
What did Iran allege happened?
Bagherzadeh said the four pilots ejected from two Su-24 fighter jets after Qatari air defences intercepted the aircraft during a strike targeting a Qatari military installation on 2 March 2026, the third day of the wider US-Iran conflict. He said one of the four, Majid Kazemi, was killed and his remains later returned to Iran, while the other three — Salehi, Dashtian and Behraveshian — were allegedly taken into Qatari custody and have since been denied contact with their families.
The letter accused Qatar of violating
