Iran claims three pilots held captive for six months after jets shot down near Qatar

Iran’s military claims that three of its fighter pilots have been imprisoned for half a year after their Sukhoi-24 jets were damaged and crashed whilst attempting to strike an “enemy base” in Qatar on 2 March. According to Iranian military officials, the captured pilots have been denied contact with their families since their detention, prompting Iran to lodge a complaint with the International Committee of the Red Cross seeking their release and improved treatment.

The allegations come as Iran continues to escalate regional tensions, with reports indicating that Iranian forces have attacked a third commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz within the past week. The move appears designed to demonstrate Iran’s military capabilities and willingness to disrupt international shipping in one of the world’s most critical waterways.

Simultaneously, Iran has responded to what it describes as “fantasies” from former US President Donald Trump regarding American military capabilities in the region. Trump had previously suggested that controlling the Strait of Hormuz—a critical chokepoint through which roughly one-third of global maritime oil trade passes—would be a worthwhile objective, despite the inevitable economic consequences for American consumers at the petrol pump.

Iranian officials have hit back at such rhetoric, arguing that the US should “accept the reality of defeat” in the region. Meanwhile, Trump himself contradicted his own administration’s position on the strategic importance of the waterway, characterising a slight increase in fuel prices as an acceptable cost to prevent a “rogue state” from acquiring nuclear weapons—a reference to Iran’s controversial nuclear programme.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.