Key facts
- An Iranian military official requested Qatar transfer detained pilots to a land-based hospital due to their poor physical condition.
- The official cited the current water-based holding location as unsuitable.
- Qatar previously denied holding Iranian pilots, stating they violated the country's airspace earlier in the year.
- Doha indicated it had attempted to coordinate the handover of one pilot's remains with Iran.
- Iran's military official welcomed Qatar's decision to allow Iranian experts to visit and investigate.
An Iranian military official has urged Qatar to move detained Iranian pilots to a hospital on land, citing their poor physical condition and the unsuitability of their current location. Mohammad Baqerzadeh, commander of the Committee for the Search for Missing Persons of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff, also requested the International Committee of the Red Cross send an air ambulance to Qatar to facilitate the return of injured and sick detainees to Iran.
Qatar had previously denied holding Iranian pilots, asserting that they had violated Qatari airspace earlier in the year and failed to respond to contact attempts. Doha stated it had reached out to Iran to coordinate the handover of the remains of one pilot and invited Tehran to review details of its search and rescue operations, but had not received a response. A foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that the invitation for an Iranian delegation to visit regarding the pilots issue remained open.
In his latest statement, Baqerzadeh welcomed Qatar's decision to receive a team of Iranian experts and called for necessary cooperation from Doha. He had previously stated that an Iranian Air Force expert and fact-finding team had been waiting for months to enter Qatar, accusing Qatari officials of repeatedly delaying the investigation.