Iran seeks release of 3 pilots it says Qatar captured

Iranian authorities called on Saturday for the release of three Iranian pilots they say Qatari forces captured alive after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the Middle East war.

Fars news agency reported that General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces made the claim in a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross. He named the pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian, and said they had been held by Qatari forces for six months.

Bagherzadeh said the pilots had not been allowed to meet or contact their families. Iran had previously said the pilots were missing and that their alleged capture had not been publicised at the time.

Iran's army said last month it had retrieved the body of Iranian pilot Majid Kazemi, who it said was killed during an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in early March.

Al Udeid hosts forward components of U.S. Central Command and is the largest U.S. base in the region. The Middle East war began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, which retaliated with attacks across the region. Diplomatic efforts led to an April ceasefire before a June framework for peace talks later collapsed. Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, and a lull in fighting has been in place since late July.