TEHRAN: Iran has accused Qatar of detaining three Iranian pilots and denying Iranian authorities access to them despite repeated diplomatic efforts.

Iranian authorities have officially claimed for the first time that three pilots from the Iranian Air Force, who went missing after an attack on a US military base in Qatar on March 2, 2026, were captured alive by Qatari forces.

Iranian military officials have called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to urgently determine the condition of the pilots and take steps toward securing their release.

In a letter to the Red Cross, Iranian military official Brigadier General Mohammad Bagher Zadeh said pilot Majid Kazemi was killed during a mission on March 2, while three other pilots — Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Imran Bahrouzian — were detained by Qatar.

The Iranian general alleged that Qatar’s treatment of the pilots violated the Geneva Conventions concerning prisoners of war as well as other international laws.

He said Iranian authorities had made several diplomatic efforts and contacts to gain access to the three pilots, but had not been allowed to meet or interview them.

According to the Iranian official, the detained pilots have also not been given an opportunity to contact their families or officials involved in their cases.

Iran has urged the Red Cross to intervene immediately, establish the whereabouts and condition of the three pilots and work toward ensuring their rights and eventual release.

The allegations add another sensitive dimension to relations between Tehran and Doha. Qatar has not yet publicly responded to Iran’s claim that its forces captured and detained the three Iranian pilots.