Iran urges Qatar to release pilots shot down in Middle East war

Iranian authorities revealed on Saturday that three of Tehran's pilots who went down early in the Middle East war were still being held in Qatar, calling on the Gulf state to release them.

Iran had previously reported one pilot killed and others missing after a sortie to Qatar in March, but news of their alleged capture was not publicised at the time.

"Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war," said General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces, Fars news agency reported.

"Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian have been held by Qatari forces for six months," he said in a letter addressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

In the letter, Bagherzadeh called for their release, saying the pilots had not been allowed to meet or contact their families.

Qatar's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.

Last month, Iran's military said it had retrieved the body of pilot Majid Kazemi, who was killed during the attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in early March.

The Al Udeid base includes forward components of US Central Command (CENTCOM), as well as the command's air forces and special operations forces.

It is the largest US base in the region.

In early March, Qatar's defence ministry said it downed two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers -- though it was unclear if they were the same ones -- as it and nations across the region weathered retaliatory attacks for the US and Israeli strikes that kicked off the war.

It was the first time a Gulf country had reported shooting down an Iranian plane since the war broke out on February 28.

Diplomatic efforts led to an April ceasefire, ending nearly 40 days of fighting, before the signing of a framework for peace talks in June, which later collapsed.

Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centred in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar also came under fire after the truce broke down, reporting attacks on its territory and at least one Qatari tanker transiting the strait.

They took place even as Qatar stepped up its efforts to broker a negotiated end to the conflict alongside initial mediator Pakistan.

The fighting between the US and Iran has been in a lull since late July, though sporadic attacks on vessels in the Hormuz have continued.