Iran to Send Technical Delegation to Qatar Over Captured Iranian Pilots

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni has announced that a technical delegation will travel to Qatar to continue discussions over the status of three Iranian Air Force pilots held in the country. Momeni, who visited Doha for talks with Qatari officials, said negotiations had already been conducted on the issue and that it had been agreed that another technical delegation would visit Qatar to continue the discussions and related work.

The case dates back to March 2, when two Iranian Air Force Su-24 aircraft reportedly carried out a mission targeting Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar during the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel. Iranian accounts say the aircraft were struck by air-defense systems while returning from the mission, forcing the pilots to eject. One of the four pilots, Majid Kazemi, was killed, while Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Emran Behrouzian were captured alive by Qatari forces.

Kazemi’s remains were subsequently returned to Iran and buried in Shiraz in late July. Qatar initially denied that its forces had captured the Iranian pilots, while Tehran has continued to seek clarification and discussions over the fate of the three surviving airmen. The planned technical delegation indicates that diplomatic and official contacts over the case are continuing between Tehran and Doha.