Iran accused Qatar of holding three of its air force pilots prisoner, deepening a mystery that dates back to the beginning of the war.
Just three days into the conflict, Qatar said it had shot down a pair of Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 warplanes that were threatening its airspace.
Both sides agree one crew member from the two-person jets was recovered dead, but the other three have never turned up.
Iran now says they are being held by Qatar as prisoners and is demanding their release. The military’s missing persons committee wrote to the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross asking the organization to visit the pilots after saying its own efforts have been rebuffed by Qatar.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said late Saturday that it isn’t holding the pilots. Spokesman Majed Al Ansari said on social media that Qatar sent search-and-rescue teams to look for the crew members after their planes were downed and found the remains of one of the pilots.
Qatar also invited Iranian officials to visit and be briefed on the details of the search and rescue attempts, but Iran didn’t respond to the invitation, he said.
“We categorically deny the claims circulating regarding the detention of Iranian pilots and are surprised by these misleading statements at this particular time, amid the ongoing diplomatic efforts and initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region,” Ansari said.
Qatar has been a key mediator in the latest round of talks between the U.S. and Iran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an easing of American economic pressure.
Those talks have stalled amid tough demands from Iran’s hard-line leadership and U.S. reluctance to agree to a deal that doesn’t involve an unimpeded opening of the waterway, a chokepoint for 20% of the world’s oil.
The new dispute over the pilots highlights the lack of progress amid a deepening economic standoff.
Iran sent its pilots on a number of brazen attack missions during the war, putting its collection of museum-piece warplanes up against the modern jets and air-defense systems deployed by the U.S. and its Arab allies.
Many of Iran’s jets date back decades to the time of the Shah. The Su-24 Russian tactical bombers entered service in the early 1970s and were last produced more than 30 years ago.
The Trump administration has bragged about destroying Iran’s air force, but it was never much of a contest. The planes routinely crashed during training exercises well before they could get into a fight. Others were picked off on the runway.
That weakness led Iran to focus on the ballistic missile program it has used to pound U.S. bases and targets across the Gulf.
Given the dated equipment, Israel was surprised when Iran was able to get off a strike on Kuwait during the war with Vietnam-era F-5 planes, an Israeli military official said in June.
Iranian state media detailed the attack earlier in the war, saying the jets flew at extremely low altitude to avoid defenses. The U.S. military has said attacks by Iranian jets—along with drones and missiles—contributed to the crowded skies and fog of war when three U.S. F-15s were downed by friendly fire over Kuwait in March.
