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Qatar denies holding Iranian pilots after general's release demand

16 August 2026 00:55 (UTC +04:00)

Qatar's foreign ministry on Saturday flatly denied holding three Iranian pilots in custody, pushing back against a demand from a senior Iranian general that Doha release the aviators, whose aircraft were shot down in the early days of the wider Middle East war, APA reports citing Türkiye Today.

Foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said Qatar was "surprised" by the allegations, calling them misleading and noting they emerged at a sensitive moment amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to ease regional tensions. "We categorically deny the claims circulating regarding the detention of Iranian pilots," Al Ansari said in a statement posted on X.

Contact established after airspace violation

According to the Qatari statement, contact was made with the pilots after their aircraft violated Qatari airspace and after officials confirmed the trajectory the aircraft had been targeting.

Qatar said its forces followed the rules of engagement and attempted to communicate with the pilots before receiving no response, at which point what it described as "necessary measures" were taken to defend Qatari territory in accordance with international law. The ministry said this sequence of events had already been clarified through official channels at the time.

The pilots were flying Su-24 fighter jets that Qatar's air force shot down in March, according to earlier statements from Qatar's Defence Ministry, during a period of Iranian strikes on countries hosting U.S. military installations following American and Israeli attacks on Iran.

Search and rescue efforts, remains handed over

Qatar said its search and rescue teams, which it described as possessing "world-class expertise and capabilities," carried out a full search for the pilots' remains following the incident.

The ministry said Qatar subsequently coordinated with Iranian authorities to hand over the remains of one of the pilots who was found, in line with relevant provisions of international humanitarian law.

Qatar added that it had invited an Iranian delegation in April to visit the country and be briefed on the details of the search and rescue operation, but said Iran had not yet responded to that invitation.