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Qatar denies holding Iranian pilots; Tehran claims three were captured alive
In early March, Qatar's defence ministry said it had downed two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers
- PUBLISHED: Sun 16 Aug 2026, 7:39 AM
[Editor's Note: For the latest updates on how US-Iran hostilities have escalated since a 14-point deal was signed on June 17, follow the Khaleej Times live blog.]
Qatar denied on August 15 that it was holding Iranian pilots, saying they had violated Qatari airspace in March and had failed to respond to attempts to contact them.
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Majed Al Ansari, a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson, said on X that search and rescue teams later found the remains of one of the pilots and that it had contacted Iran to coordinate a handover. The spokesperson said Tehran had yet to respond to an invitation to review details of its operations.
"We categorically deny the claims circulating regarding the detention of Iranian pilots and are surprised by these misleading statements at this particular time, amid the ongoing diplomatic efforts & initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region.
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We reaffirm that contact was established with the pilots concerned following their violation of Qatari airspace and after confirming the trajectory of the targeting," he added.
The statement came after Iranian state news agency (Irna) cited a senior military official as saying three Iranian pilots had been captured alive by Qatari forces after ejecting from fighter jets during a combat mission targeting a military base in Qatar.
The official called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to follow up on their fate.
Irna said the mission took place during Iran's response to US and Israeli attacks that started on February 28, which Tehran says were launched in part from bases in Gulf Arab states. Qatar said it took measures to defend its territory after the pilots entered its airspace and did not respond to attempts to communicate with them.
Iran had previously reported one pilot killed and others missing after a sortie to Qatar in March, but news of their alleged capture was not publicised at the time.
"Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war," said General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces, Fars news agency reported.
"Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian have been held by Qatari forces for six months," he said in a letter addressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross. In the letter, Bagherzadeh called for their release, saying the pilots had not been allowed to meet or contact their families.
Pilot's body retrieved
Last month, Iran's military said it had retrieved the body of pilot Majid Kazemi, killed during an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in early March.
The Al Udeid base includes forward components of US Central Command (CENTCOM), as well as the command's air forces and special operations forces. In early March, Qatar's defence ministry said it had downed two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers.
It was not clear, however, if they were the same ones, as it and nations across the region weathered retaliatory attacks for the US and Israeli strikes that kicked off the war.
It was the first time a Gulf country had reported shooting down an Iranian plane since the war broke out on February 28.
Diplomatic efforts led to an April ceasefire, ending nearly 40 days of fighting, before the signing of a framework for peace talks in June, which later collapsed.
Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centred in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar also came under fire after the truce broke down, reporting attacks on its territory and at least one Qatari tanker transiting the strait. They took place even as Qatar stepped up its efforts to broker a negotiated end to the conflict alongside initial mediator Pakistan.
The fighting between the US and Iran has been in a lull since late July, though sporadic attacks on vessels in the Hormuz have continued.