Qatar Denies Capturing 3 Iranian Pilots After Downing Fighter Jets, Calls Claim ‘Misleading’

Qata
has
catego ically
ejected
I a ‘s
claim
that
it
captu ed
th ee
I a ia
pilots
afte
two
fighte
jets
we e
hit
by
ai
defe ces
du i g
a
milita y
ope atio
at
the
sta t
of
the
US-I a
wa ,
desc ibi g
the
allegatio s
as
misleadi g
a d
pa ticula ly
co ce i g
amid
o goi g
diplomatic
effo ts
to
ease
egio al
te sio s.

I a
had
called
fo
the
elease
of
the
th ee
pilots,
claimi g
they
had
bee
held
captive
by
Qata
fo
six
mo ths.

Qata ‘s
Fo eig
Mi ist y
spokespe so
Majed
Mohammed
Al-A sa i
said
i
a
post
o
X
that
Qata i
autho ities
had
established
co tact
with
the
pilots
afte
they
allegedly
violated
Qata i
ai space
a d
co fi med
thei
ta geti g
t ajecto y.

“We
catego ically
de y
the
claims
that
have
bee
ci culated
ega di g
the
dete tio
of
I a ia
pilots,
a d
we
a e
su p ised
by
these
misleadi g
stateme ts
at
this
specific
timi g,”
the
spokespe so
said.

Al-A sa i
said
Qata i
autho ities
attempted
to
commu icate
with
the
pilots
but
eceived
o
espo se.
He
added
that
Qata
the
acted
u de
its
ules
of
e gageme t
a d
took
“the
ecessa y
measu es”
to
p otect
its
te ito y
i
acco da ce
with
i te atio al
law.

The
spokespe so
said
Qata
had
al eady
add essed
the
matte
th ough
official
cha els
at
the
time.

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Claims,
Me tio s
‘Akha d
Bha at’

Qata
Details
Sea ch
A d
Rescue
Ope atio s

O
the
sea ch
a d
escue
effo ts,
Qata
said
its
teams
sea ched
fo
the
pilots’
emai s
a d
subseque tly
coo di ated
with
I a ia
autho ities
to
ha d
ove
the
emai s
of
o e
pilot
who
was
ecove ed.

“Qata i
sea ch
a d
escue
teams,
which
possess
global
efficie cy
a d
expe tise,
fulfilled
thei
duty
to
the
fullest
i
sea chi g
fo
the
pilots’
emai s,”
the
spokespe so
said.

Qata
also
said
it
had
i vited
a
I a ia
team
i
Ap il
to
visit
a d
exami e
details
of
the
sea ch
a d
escue
ope atio s.
Acco di g
to
Al-A sa i,
the
I a ia
side
has
ot
espo ded
to
the
i vitatio .

“Additio ally,
a
i vitatio
was
exte ded
fo
a
team
to
visit
a d
lea
about
the
details
of
the
sea ch
a d
escue
ope atio s
last
Ap il,
to
which
the
I a ia
side
has
ot
espo ded
to
date,”
Al-A sa i
said.

I a
Claims
Th ee
Pilots
Captu ed

The
Qata i
stateme t
came
afte
I a ‘s
Fa s
News
Age cy
epo ted
o
Satu day
that
th ee
milita y
pilots
had
bee
captu ed
by
Qata i
fo ces
followi g
the
dow i g
of
two
I a ia
Su-24
fighte
jets
du i g
a
Ma ch
ope atio
agai st
the
US
base
i
Qata .

Fa s
News
Age cy
quoted
Mohammad
Baghe zadeh,
Comma de
of
the
Sea ch
Committee
fo
the
Missi g
of
the
Ge e al
Staff
of
the
A med
Fo ces,
as
ide tifyi g
the
th ee
pilots
as
Javad
Salehi,
Abdol-Majid
Dashtia
a d
Em a
Beh ushia .

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I
a
lette
to
the
head
of
the
I te atio al
Committee
of
the
Red
C oss
(ICRC),
Baghe zadeh
claimed
that
the
th ee
pilots
had
bee
held
by
Qata i
fo ces
fo
the
past
six
mo ths.

He
also
alleged
that
the
Qata i
gove me t
had
ot
pe mitted
the
th ee
pilots
to
meet
each
othe ,
be
i te viewed,
o
commu icate
with
thei
families
o
I a ia
officials
ha dli g
thei
case,
accusi g
Qata
of
violati g
thei
ights.

Baghe zadeh
said
the
body
of
a
fou th
pilot,
Majid
Kazemi,
was
etu ed
afte
he
was
killed
i
the
same
ope atio
o
Ma ch
2,
2026,
the
thi d
day
of
the
wa .

The
I a ia
ews
age cy
epo ted
that
the
official
called
fo
the
ICRC
to
be
g a ted
access
to
the
pilots.

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