Iran asks Qatar to allow inquiry into fate of three pilots missing since June

TEHRAN, Iran — The head of Iran's Armed Forces Missing Persons Commission has asked Qatar to permit a delegation of Iranian Air Force experts to enter the country and investigate the fate of three Iranian pilots, accusing Doha of obstructing the inquiry. Brigadier General Baqer Zadeh said on Sunday that a team of senior Iranian Air Force specialists has waited months for clearance to enter Qatar and carry out on-site searches, and accused Qatari officials of sabotaging and repeatedly delaying the process. He said Doha's denial of the matter and blocking of the investigation amounted to a waste of time and urged the creation of suitable conditions for the delegation's travel. Zadeh identified the three missing pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtiyan and Imran Behroosha, claiming they were detained by Qatari forces after their aircraft were downed and that contact and visits with them have been blocked. He also called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to pursue the pilots' case urgently, and warned that Kuwait was taking a similar approach by withholding information on four Iranian prisoners in its custody. Earlier reporting by CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter, said Qatari fighter jets had engaged two Iranian Su-24 aircraft at the outset of the war with the United States and Israel, bringing down both planes. No immediate comment from Qatari authorities was reported.