Despite Doha's denial, Iran demands the Red Cross intervene urgently to release its pilots in Qatar - Sarmad

The Iranian military has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for urgent intervention to secure the release of two pilots, whom it claims have been detained by Qatari forces since March last year.

Colonel Mohammad Bagherzadeh, head of the Missing Persons Search Committee under the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff, sent an urgent message to the President of the ICRC, calling for immediate intervention to verify the fate of three Iranian pilots whom Tehran insists are held as prisoners by Qatari forces.

Bagherzadeh accused Qatar of violating the four Geneva Conventions, noting that six months had passed without allowing visits to the prisoners or contact with their families. His message cited Articles 70 and 78 of the Third Geneva Convention, which guarantee prisoners of war the right to communicate with their families and the ICRC, the right to file complaints, and the right to have sick and wounded prisoners repatriated to their home countries.

He urged the Red Cross to interview the pilots as soon as possible, inform Tehran of their health status, and facilitate conditions for their release.

In response, Qatar firmly rejected these allegations. Majid Al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that his country was surprised by these misleading remarks amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.

Meanwhile, sources familiar with the matter told CNN that a Qatari F-15 fighter engaged two Iranian fighters after warning them via radio without receiving a response, classifying them as hostile and shooting them down.

Qatar confirmed that search and rescue teams had searched for the pilots’ remains and coordinated with Tehran regarding the handover of one pilot’s remains, noting that it had invited the Iranian side in April last year to review operational details but received no response.