Qatar Denies Holding Iranian Pilots After Airspace Violation

Iranian Army office

The picture shows an Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 tactical bomber aircraft releasing bombs.

Qatar on Saturday denied reports that it was holding Iranian pilots, saying they had violated Qatari airspace earlier this year and failed to respond to attempts to contact them.

A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Mohammed Al-Ansari said on X that search and rescue teams later recovered the remains of one of the pilots and that Doha had contacted Tehran to coordinate the handover.

The spokesperson added that Iran had yet to respond to an invitation to review details of the incident and related operations.

The denial follows Tehran’s claim that three pilots survived after their aircraft were shot down by air defences during an operation on 2 March, but were subsequently captured by Qatari forces.



PUKMEDIA