Iran Urges Qatar to Allow Probe Into Fate of Missing Iranian Pilots

A senior Iranian military commander has urged Qatar to allow an Iranian Air Force fact-finding team to enter the country and investigate the fate of three Iranian pilots whose fighter jets were reportedly shot down while returning from a mission against a US base in March. Brigadier General Seyyed Mohammad Bagherzadeh, commander of the Missing-in-Action Search Committee of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, said Doha should facilitate the team’s entry instead of denying the detention of the pilots.

Bagherzadeh said a team of elite Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force experts had been waiting for months for permission to travel to Qatar and conduct a field investigation. He accused Qatari authorities of reluctance to cooperate, saying preparations for the pilots’ return to Iran had not been made because of what he described as the unwillingness of Qatari officials to provide information about their fate.

The Iranian commander also renewed his appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross to follow up on the cases of the missing pilots and help establish their whereabouts. Bagherzadeh further claimed that Kuwait had adopted a similar position to Qatar by refusing to provide information about four Iranians reportedly captured in the country, calling on authorities to cooperate in clarifying the fate of the missing individuals.