Shafaq News- Tehran

Iran on Sunday urged Qatar to allow an Iranian delegation investigate the fate of three pilots whose aircraft were shot down during the February 28 war with the United States, rejecting Doha’s denial that the men were detained.

Brigadier General Seyed Mohammad Bagherzadeh, head of Iran’s Armed Forces Missing Persons Search Committee, accused Qatari officials of repeatedly delaying the investigation and preventing the pilots’ return to Iran. He also called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene and establish the personnel’s condition.

Tehran has previously identified the three pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian. Bagherzadeh has claimed they survived after two Iranian Su-24 aircraft were shot down on March 2 and were subsequently captured by Qatari forces. The fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, was killed in the incident, with his remains later transferred to Iran.

Qatar has categorically rejected Tehran’s account. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari maintained that Qatari forces acted after the Iranian aircraft violated the country’s airspace, taking necessary measures to defend Qatar’s sovereignty in accordance with international law.

Further details have since emerged about the confrontation. CNN, citing sources familiar with the incident, reported that Qatari fighter jets engaged the two Iranian Su-24s after they entered Qatari airspace. The aircraft were returning from a mission involving a US military base in Doha. According to the sources, Qatar issued radio warnings but received no response. The aircraft were then classified as hostile and shot down by Qatari fighters.