Iran Urges ICRC to Probe Fate of Three Pilots Captured by Qatar

Commander of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff Missing-in-Action Search Committee, Brigadier General Seyyed Mohammad Bagherzadeh, has called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to urgently investigate the fate of three Iranian pilots reportedly captured by Qatari forces. In a letter to ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric, Bagherzadeh said the pilots were captured after two Iranian Su-24 fighter jets carried out a combat mission against an enemy military base in Qatar on March 2, 2026. He said one of the four pilots, Majid Kazemi, was killed, while Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Emran Behrouzian were captured alive after the aircraft were struck by air defenses during their return.

Bagherzadeh accused Qatar of failing to uphold the captured pilots’ fundamental rights under international humanitarian law, saying they had been denied contact with their families and Iranian officials despite repeated diplomatic efforts. Referring to Articles 70 and 78 of the Third Geneva Convention, he said prisoners of war are entitled to communicate with their families, submit complaints and receive visits from ICRC representatives. He expressed “grave concern” over the pilots’ condition and said the issue required urgent humanitarian attention.

The Iranian commander urged the ICRC president to immediately interview the three pilots in Qatar and provide Iran with information about their health and current condition. Tehran has described the March 2 operation as a response to what it calls unprovoked US and Israeli military aggression, saying the Iranian Su-24s penetrated enemy radar and air-defense systems before striking Al Udeid Air Base, a major US military hub in West Asia. Iran says the aircraft were targeted by air defenses while returning over the Persian Gulf, but that the mission was successfully completed.