Iran calls on Qatar to free three pilots; Doha denies capture

Iranian authorities on Saturday called for the release of three pilots they claim were captured in Qatar during the war with the US and Israel. General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces, in a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross, identified the pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian, alleging they have been held by Qatari forces for six months. Previously, the Iranian army stated it had retrieved the body of pilot Majid Kazemi, who was killed during an attack on the Al Udeid Air Base. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson denied the detention of Iranian pilots on X, stating that search teams had found the remains of one pilot and that Tehran had not responded to invitations to coordinate a handover. Meanwhile, regional tensions persist as the UAE accused Iran of attacking a vessel belonging to the state-owned oil giant ADNOC in the Strait of Hormuz. Separately, in Yemen, the director of the Mocha port announced the suspension of commercial operations following Houthi missile attacks that reportedly killed seven people and caused significant financial losses.