Three Iranian military pilots have been held in Qatar for the past six months after being captured by Qatari forces, Iran International reported on Saturday.
The report cited the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff’s committee for missing personnel commander Mohammad Bagherzadeh, who disclosed the information in a letter to International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, appealing for help securing the pilots' release.
According to the report, the pilots were taken into Qatari custody after their Russian-made Sukhoi Su-24 tactical bombers were struck in March during a mission against what Tehran described as "an enemy military base" in Qatar.
Qatari authorities did not immediately confirm the incident.
Bagherzadeh: No contact between pilots and their families, Iranian officials
Bagherzadeh noted in the letter that the pilots have not been permitted to speak to their families or Iranian officials while in Qatari captivity, according to Iran International.
The report identified the pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian, and Iranian officials previously confirmed that an additional pilot, Majid Kazemi, was returned to Iran after a military operation against Qatar.
Reuters contributed to this report.