Iran Urges Red Cross Intervention for Pilots Held in Qatar

Iranian military authorities have formally appealed to international humanitarian bodies to assist in securing the release of three fighter pilots currently detained in Qatar. According to Business Recorder, the demand was conveyed through a letter addressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross by General Mohammad Bagherzadeh, a senior representative of the Iranian armed forces.

The three captured aviators have been officially named as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian. Iranian military officials reported that the men were taken into custody alive by Qatari security forces after their Su-24 aircraft crashed during wartime operations across the Middle East.

Addressing the circumstances of their detention, General Bagherzadeh stated via Iran's Fars news agency that the crew members have now been held in Qatar for six months. The general's communication to the Red Cross highlighted concerns over prisoner conditions, stating that the pilots have not been granted permission to see or speak with their families throughout their captivity.

The call for their release comes weeks after a related development involving Iranian military casualties in the area. Last month, the Iranian army announced that it had successfully recovered the body of Majid Kazemi, another Iranian pilot who died during an attack launched against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in early March.

The official request to the Red Cross marks Tehran's latest attempt to resolve the status of its personnel captured during recent hostilities. Qatari officials have not publicly issued a response regarding the condition or potential release of the three surviving pilots.