Iranian Commander Accuses Qatar of Delaying Probe Into Fate of Three Pilots
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RIYADH, August 16 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — An Iranian military commander accused Qatar of delaying an investigation into the fate of three pilots Tehran says have been held there for months, while Doha has denied holding them.
Seyed Mohammad Bagherzadeh, who leads the Iranian armed forces’ missing persons search committee, said a team of Iranian air force experts had been waiting for months to enter Qatar and conduct a field investigation, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Due to “obstruction and delaying tactics by Qatari officials,” the pilots had been unable to return, Bagherzadeh claimed. He called on the Qatari government to permit the Iranian expert team to travel to the country, Tasnim reported.
Bagherzadeh previously claimed that Qatar had held the three crew members after their aircraft were shot down early in the war.
Qatar has denied holding the pilots. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Qatari rescue teams had searched for their remains and coordinated with Iran over the transfer of one of their bodies.
Al-Ansari also said Qatar invited Iran in April to receive a briefing on the search operations but did not receive a response.
Source: CNN
