Iran has called for the release of three Iranian pilots it said were captured by Qatar after two fighter jets werehit by air defences during a military operation at the start of the US-Iran war.

In a letter to the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Iran's Brig Gen Mohammad Bagherzadeh said the pilots - Javad Salehi, Abdul Majid Dashtian, and Imran Behroshian - had been held captive for six months.

He said the body of a fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, was returned after he was killed in the same operation on 2 March 2026 - the third day of the war.

Qatar "categorically denied" Iran's claims and said it was "surprised by these misleading statements".

Gen Bagherzadeh said the three pilots had been captured by Qatar after they ejected from their jets during the combat mission on a Qatari military base.

In the letter to ICRC chief Mirjana Spoljaric,published by Iranian media, he accused Qatar of violating "the inalienable rights of these prisoners, contrary to all international laws and regulations".

The letter also claimed the three pilots had not been allowed to meet or contact their families.

Qatar's foreign affairs spokesperson Majed Mohammed Al Ansari said contact had been made with the pilots "after they violated Qatari airspace", but it did not receive a response.

"The necessary measures were taken to defend our territory in accordance with international law," he added in a statement on X.

Al Ansari said Qatar's search and rescue teams "carried out their duties to the fullest extent in searching for the pilots' remains".

He said Qatar contacted Iran to "co-ordinate the handover of the remains of one of the pilots that were recovered", and that Tehran had yet to respond to an invitation to review details of the search and rescue operation.