TEHRAN -- The Commander of the Missing-in-Action Search Committee of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff has called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to urgently follow up on the condition and whereabouts of three Iranian pilots being held in Qatari custody.
In a letter to ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric, Brigadier General Seyyed Muhammad Bagherzadeh said the three pilots were taken into custody by Qatari forces after two Iranian Su-24 fighter jets carried out a combat mission against an enemy military base in Qatar on March 2, 2026.
According to the letter, the aircraft were returning from the mission when they were targeted by enemy air defenses, forcing the pilots to eject.
“One of the four pilots of the two fighter jets was martyred,” Bagherzadeh wrote, identifying him as pilot Majid Kazemi, whose body was later transferred to Iran and laid to rest.
He said the three other pilots — Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Emran Behrouzian — survived and were subsequently taken into Qatari custody.
“Unfortunately, since that date, despite the passage of six months, the Qatari government has disregarded and violated the fundamental rights of the prisoners, contrary to international laws and regulations, including the four Geneva Conventions,” Bagherzadeh said.
He added that despite diplomatic efforts and continued follow-ups, Qatar has not allowed the detained pilots to communicate with their families or meet with Iranian officials responsible for pursuing their cases.
Bagherzadeh said the issue requires attention under international humanitarian law and referred to provisions of the Third Geneva Convention regarding prisoners of war, including their right to notify families, communicate through the ICRC’s Central Tracing Agency and submit requests or complaints to protecting powers.
He urged the ICRC president to “urgently interview the Iranian pilots in Qatar” and provide Iran with information regarding their health and current condition.