DUBAI: Qatar categorically denied on Saturday it was detaining any Iranian pilots after an Iranian general said Doha should release three aviators shot down early in the Iran war.
“We categorically deny the claims circulating regarding the detention of Iranian pilots & are surprised by these misleading statements at this particular time, amid the ongoing diplomatic efforts & initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on X.
Qatar rescuers “carried out their duties to the fullest” searching for the pilots, he added.
It had “communicated with the Iranian side to coordinate the handover of the remains of one of the pilots who was found,” said Al-Ansari.
“Qatar also issued an invitation for an Iranian team to visit Qatar to be briefed on the details of the search & rescue operations in April, but the Iranian side has yet to respond to the invitation,” he added.
General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces claimed earlier that three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war, Fars news agency reported.