Qatar denies capturing three Iranian pilots after downing fighter jets - BBC News

Iran claims they have been held since Qatar downed two fighter jets at the start of the US-Iran war.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Iran said two Su-24 warplanes were used in the mission on a Qatari military base on 2 March 2026 (File photo of the aircraft type in Russian service)

Iran has called for the release of three pilots it said were captured by Qatar after two of its fighter jets were hit by air defences during a military operation at the start of the US-Iran war.

In a letter to the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Iran's Brig Gen Mohammad Bagherzadeh claimed the pilots - Javad Salehi, Abdul Majid Dashtian and Imran Behroshian - had been held captive for six months.

He said the body of a fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, had been returned after he was killed in the same operation on 2 March 2026 - the third day of the war.

Qatar "categorically denied" Iran's claims and said it was "surprised by these misleading statements".