Iran has formally accused Qatar of holding three Iranian military pilots as prisoners of war for about six months and has asked the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene, in the latest dispute stemming from a March aerial clash during the wider regional conflict.
Brig. Gen. Mohammad Bagherzadeh, who heads the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff committee responsible for missing personnel, made the claim in a letter dated Aug. 15, 2026, to ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger. Iranian media published the letter, which was also reported by several international outlets.
The allegation marks the first public confirmation by Iranian authorities that three pilots who disappeared after their aircraft were shot down in Qatar are alive and allegedly being held by Qatari forces.
Three pilots allegedly held since March
According to Bagherzadeh's account, two Iranian Air Force Su-24 fighter-bombers were dispatched on March 2 on a mission against what Tehran described as an "enemy military base" in Qatar.
