Iran has toughened its stance about its three pilots who vanished after Qatar shot down two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 tactical bombers that were en route to strike Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base. Though Iran confirmed that the aircraft were struck down by Qatar, the Emirate made no mention of what happened to the pilots.
According to Amir Mohammad Akraminia, spokesman for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s army, the army’s air force targeted the base two days after the US aggression. “To avoid detection by defence systems, our pilots had to fly at a very low altitude, about 30 to 40 meters above the water surface; a mission that requires great courage and operational mastery,” he said, adding that the Iranian pilots succeeded in striking the Al-Udeid base by passing through multiple layers of defence. However, the planes collided and crashed, he claimed, contrary to Qatari Ministry of Defence claims that it shot down the planes.
Iranian media identified the pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behroshian.
According to Iranian media, there is evidence that the Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after an emergency ejection. In an official letter to the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Brigadier General Bagherzadeh, commander of the Missing Persons Search Committee of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, said they had information that the pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces.
“Despite six months, the Qatari government, contrary to the four Geneva Conventions, has ignored the inalienable rights of these prisoners and has not allowed them to visit or contact their families,” he alleged.
Iran claims a documentary aired by Al Jazeera titled “On the Front Lines” provides evidence that the pilots were indeed in Qatari custody.
Lieutenant Colonel Nasser Mohammed Al-Kubaisi, a Qatari Defence Ministry official, inadvertently confirmed the pilots’ survival in a brief but key response to the host. “Were they carrying missiles?”, the host asked.
Al-Kubaisi replied, “According to confirmed information and the pilot’s confirmation, it was determined that these planes were carrying bombs.” The phrase “pilot’s confirmation” clearly indicates that there was an interrogation or conversation between Qatari forces and the Iranian pilots, a matter that Qatar is now heavily covering up, Iranian media alleged.
Meanwhile, Iran has toughened its stance on the pilots. Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said in a weekly press conference on Monday that until the status of the three missing pilots of the Islamic Republic of Iran's army is clarified, it considers them "captured."
"Our demand from Qatar to clarify the situation of the three army pilots is a serious demand and does not contradict diplomatic relations with this country," said Baqaei.
