Iran's Army: Three of Our Pilots Held Alive in Captivity in Qatar

Iran's army announced that three Iranian pilots are being held alive in captivity in Qatar, after their SU-24 aircraft crashed during strike missions in March. Meanwhile, Tehran criticizes Doha for preventing the pilots from contacting their families. According to a Washington Post report, Qatar ran a secret channel with Iran and offered to shut down the Ras Laffan facility to pressure the US and Israel, but the attempt failed after Iran attacked the facility.

Iran's army announced today (Saturday) that three Iranian pilots are alive and held captive in Qatar. According to the report, the fighter jets they flew, SU-24 models, crashed during strike missions carried out in March. Alongside the announcement, Iran directly criticizes Qatar's conduct, claiming that the authorities in Doha are preventing the pilots from contacting their families or official representatives in Tehran. According to a Washington Post report, Qatar ran a secret channel of contacts with Iran at the beginning of the war and offered to shut down the Ras Laffan facility, the world's largest gas facility, to shock the energy market and exert economic pressure on the US and Israel. In return, Doha demanded full immunity. In practice, Qatar shut down the facility as early as the third day of the war, but satellite imagery confirmed that no damage was caused, indicating a deliberate move. Doha denied the report. The affair reveals Qatar's double game, hosting the American Al Udeid base alongside Hamas leadership and sharing gas fields with Tehran. The Qatari attempt failed: in mid-March, Iran attacked Ras Laffan with missiles and destroyed large parts of it, dragging Qatar into the regional conflict.