TEHRAN [Agency Report]: Iran has renewed its demand to investigate the fate of military personnel it claims were detained by Qatar, while also accusing Kuwait of withholding information about four Iranian nationals, deepening a diplomatic dispute with its Gulf neighbors.
Mohammad Baqerzadeh, commander of the Committee for the Search for Missing Persons under Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, said on Sunday that Qatar should permit an Iranian fact-finding delegation to enter the country to determine what happened to pilots Tehran says were captured by Qatari forces.
According to Baqerzadeh, an Iranian Air Force specialist and investigative team have been waiting for months for permission to travel to Qatar, but their requests have repeatedly been delayed. He also urged the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene and help clarify the situation.
Qatar, however, has firmly denied that it is holding any Iranian pilots.
Doha said on Saturday that its search and rescue teams recovered the remains of one pilot after Iranian military aircraft entered Qatari airspace in March and failed to respond to repeated communication attempts. Qatari authorities said they had contacted Iran to coordinate the return of the pilot’s remains and invited Iranian officials to review the details of the search and rescue mission, but claimed they had received no response from Tehran.
Baqerzadeh rejected Qatar’s account, accusing officials of obstructing efforts to investigate the incident and delaying the return of the pilots to Iran.
The Iranian commander also expanded his criticism to Kuwait, alleging that the country has not disclosed the fate of four Iranians currently in its custody.
The case dates back to May, when Iran said the four individuals were affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and had unintentionally entered Kuwaiti territorial waters during a maritime patrol after experiencing a navigation disruption.
Kuwait has disputed that explanation, maintaining that the four Iranians were detained on suspicion of planning hostile activities against the country.
The differing accounts from Tehran, Doha and Kuwait continue to highlight unresolved tensions over the incidents, with Iran pressing for independent investigations while both Gulf states stand by their respective versions of events.
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