Doha, August 16: Qatar has dismissed allegations regarding the detention of Iranian pilots. Amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to reduce regional tensions, the country labeled these claims as misleading.
Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, stated on the social media platform X, “We completely refute the claims circulating about the detention of Iranian pilots and are surprised by such misleading statements at this time.”
According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, Al-Ansari explained that the pilots were contacted after violating Qatar’s airspace, and their trajectory was confirmed by authorities.
He added, “Despite attempts to contact them in accordance with the rules of engagement, necessary steps were taken to defend our territory under international law when no response was received.” He also noted that the situation was clarified through official channels at that time.
The spokesperson mentioned that following this, Qatar’s search and rescue teams launched an operation to locate the pilots’ remains. Qatar had engaged in discussions with Iran to hand over the remains of one pilot that was found.
A military commander from Iran claimed on Saturday that Qatari forces had captured three Iranian pilots. Their fighter jets were shot down while returning from a military mission against a U.S. base in Qatar in March. The commander stated that a fourth pilot was killed.
On February 28, Israel and the United States conducted joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, resulting in the deaths of the country’s then-supreme leader Ali Khamenei, military commanders, and civilians. In retaliation, Iran targeted Israeli and U.S. bases and assets in the region with several missile and drone strikes.
The body of the deceased Iranian pilot, Majid Kazemi, was returned to Iran and buried in Shiraz at the end of July.
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