]n a letter addressed to Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, General Bagherzadeh stated that credible information indicates three Iranian pilots—who went missing during an operation in response to US-Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic—were captured alive by Qatari forces.
The letter identified the pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian, saying that they were on a combat mission following "the cowardly attacks by the terrorist army of the United States and the illegitimate and usurping Zionist regime" on Iran on February 28, 2026, launched from bases in Arab countries located on the southern shores of the Persian Gulf.
According to the text, one of the four pilots on a combat mission targeting an enemy military base in Qatar was martyred, while the others remained in Qatar after their fighter jets were hit and they were forced to eject.
Stating that the heroic Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran responded to the enemy based on the principle of defending Iranian territorial integrity, the letter accused the Qatari government of ignoring and violating the inalienable rights of Iranian prisoners over the past six months, contrary to all international laws and regulations, including the Geneva Conventions.
Despite all diplomatic and follow-up efforts, Doha has not allowed the prisoners to meet with, interview, or contact their families and authorities, the Iranian commander complained, and urged the ICRC to take the matter into account.
Recalling Articles 70 and 78 of the Third Geneva Convention, the letter stated that the families of prisoners of war and the ICRC headquarters must be informed about their captivity, and that PoWs have the right to submit complaints and requests to representatives—including those of the Red Cross—who visit their camps, or to hold discussions and negotiations.
The Iranian Armed Forces General Staff's committee for missing personnel, while expressing grave concern about the situation of the captured pilots in Qatar, has requested that high-ranking ICRC officials conduct interviews with the Iranian pilots at the earliest opportunity, in line with their humanitarian missions and bilateral cooperation, and inform the Islamic Republic of their health status.
MNA
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