Iran accuses Qatar of blocking probe into fate of missing pilots

Iran accused Qatar on Sunday of blocking efforts to determine the fate of three pilots Tehran says were captured during the Middle East war. Qatar has denied detaining any of the pilots. The accusation was made by an Iranian military official and reported by the Tasnim news agency.

Why does Iran accuse Qatar of blocking the pilots probe?

Iran says a team of Air Force experts has waited months for permission to travel to Qatar and investigate on-site. Officials in Tehran blame persistent delays by Qatari authorities for keeping the pilots' return impossible. Iran has called on Doha to authorise the team's travel so the investigation can proceed.

What has Iran's military said about the pilots?

General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces said the expert team has been waiting for several months to conduct its on-site investigation. He said the delays caused by Qatari authorities have made it impossible to bring the pilots home. A day earlier, Bagherzadeh had accused Qatar of capturing three Iranian pilots during a March operation against the US Al Udeid air base and demanded their release.

Iran had previously reported that one pilot was killed and others went missing after a sortie to Qatar in March. At the time, Tehran did not claim that any pilots had been captured. Last month, Iran's military said it had retrieved the body of pilot Majid Kazemi, who was killed in the attack on Al Udeid.

How has Qatar responded to the accusations?

Qatar has denied holding any Iranian pilots. It said it sent Iran an invitation in April to be briefed on the details of search and rescue operations, but Tehran has yet to respond. Al Udeid is the largest US military base in the Middle East and hosts forward elements of US Central Command, along with air and special operations forces.

What happened to the Iranian aircraft in March?

In early March, Qatar's defense ministry said it had shot down two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers. It is not yet clear whether these were the same aircraft Iran now says carried the missing pilots. Qatar and other regional countries faced retaliatory attacks after US and Israeli strikes triggered the war, and this marked the first time a Gulf country reported downing an Iranian aircraft since fighting began on February 28.

What triggered the wider Iran-Qatar tensions?

The Middle East war began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran, which retaliated with strikes across the region. An April ceasefire ended nearly 40 days of fighting, and a peace-talks framework was signed in June before later collapsing. Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, mostly in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar took part in mediation efforts to end the fighting and came under fire after the truce broke down. It has reported attacks on its own territory as well as on at least one Qatari tanker transiting the strait.