TEHRAN -- Iran said on Monday it continues to pursue the fate of four Iranian Air Force pilots who went missing during a defensive operation, stressing that their status remains a serious and urgent matter.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran assumes the pilots have been captured as long as their fate remains unclear and is using every available channel to establish their whereabouts. 
He said Tehran has maintained contacts with Qatar and conveyed its concerns regarding reports that the pilots were captured by Qatari forces.
Baghaei said the issue was placed on the agenda from the first days of the war. Iran also contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on March 16, while the Iranian Embassy began pursuing the case through diplomatic channels.
“The demand for clarification of the status of the four brave Iranian pilots who were heading to carry out a defensive operation to target the source of US aggression is serious,” Baghaei said.
Iran’s Armed Forces have confirmed the martyrdom of Second Brigadier General pilot Majid Kazemi following forensic examinations and DNA testing. The three other pilots — Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Emran Behrouzian — are reported by Iran’s Armed Forces to have been taken custody of alive by Qatari forces.
Baghaei stressed that Iran will continue using diplomatic and international
 mechanisms to determine the pilots’ fate and secure clarity regarding their status.
Baghaei also criticized France over as unacceptable conduct by two French diplomatic personnel in Iran.
He said that, regardless of the individuals’ legal status, Iran is concerned about the position taken by the French government and expected French officials to issue an apology. 
Iranian authorities have said the two French diplomats were discovered at a secret meeting while security forces were carrying out a judicial operation against suspects in a major case involving foreign infiltration and interference.
According to Baghaei, French officials acknowledged that the two individuals were not acting within the scope of normal diplomatic duties and claimed they were assisting Iranian civil society. 
Tehran rejects that justification, stating that such activities constitute interference in Iran’s internal affairs and are inconsistent with international diplomatic norms.
Baghaei said Iran considers respect for its laws and sovereignty essential to the operation of foreign diplomatic missions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has separately protested the conduct of the two French diplomats in a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, describing their actions as unacceptable and stressing that foreign missions must comply with the laws and regulations of the host country.
Tehran maintains that diplomatic relations require mutual respect, non-interference and adherence to recognized international norms. It has warned France that any diplomatic presence in Iran must operate within those principles and respect the country’s sovereignty.