Iran Demands Transfer of Captured Pilots to Hospital
A senior Iranian military official claims the pilots are being held in unsuitable conditions on the water. Tehran has called on the Red Cross to send an air ambulance to Qatar for their evacuation.
A senior Iranian military official called on the government of Qatar today to transfer captured Iranian pilots to a hospital on land. Mohammad Baqerzadeh, commander of the Committee for the Search of Missing Persons at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, stated that the pilots are being held in a location on the water that is unsuitable for their stay, noting that they are in poor physical condition, as reported by the Iranian news agency Tasnim.
Baqerzadeh requested that the International Committee of the Red Cross send an air ambulance to Qatar to expedite the return of the wounded and sick detainees to Iran. He previously accused officials in Doha of repeatedly delaying the investigation into the incident, claiming that an Iranian Air Force expert team has been waiting for months for entry permission to Qatar.
Qatar's Position
According to Doha's statement, the pilots entered the country's airspace earlier this year and did not respond to attempts to contact them. Officials in Qatar noted that they contacted Iran to coordinate the transfer of the remains of one pilot and invited Tehran to examine the details of the search and rescue operations carried out, but no response was received from the Iranian side. A spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Tuesday that the invitation for a visit by an Iranian delegation remains open.
In his latest statement, Baqerzadeh welcomed Qatar's decision to accept an Iranian expert team and called on Doha to provide them with the necessary cooperation. As of today, Iran continues to demand the transfer of the pilots to land and the provision of urgent medical assistance through the Red Cross.
