Iran’s army holds Qatar legally responsible for fate of three missing Iranian pilots

TEHRAN, Oct. 20 (YPA) – The Iranian Army on Tuesday held the Qatari government fully legally and internationally responsible for the fate of three missing Iranian pilots, maintaining that they should be considered alive.

The Fars News Agency quoted Brigadier General Muslim Yaghoubi, assistant for legal and parliamentary affairs at the Iranian Army, as saying: “Whether or not countries are parties to the four Geneva Conventions, the laws of war have become customary rules that are binding on everyone.”

He added: “Based on the conflicting documents and claims made by the Qatari government, and with the exception of Brigadier General Majid Kazemi, who was confirmed dead through DNA testing, we legally consider the other three pilots to be alive. The presumption is that they are alive, as there is no evidence proving their deaths.”

“In Islamic jurisprudence, we have a legal principle known as the presumption of continuity, meaning that the existing state of affairs remains in force,” he continued. “The Iranian pilots attacked the aggressor American base in Qatar while alive, in legitimate self-defense, and successfully completed their mission. Consequently, the Qatari government’s international legal responsibility remains in effect.”

The Iranian Army official further stated: “International law stipulates that the state holding prisoners is responsible for safeguarding their lives, providing medical care, informing their families, and handing them over to the competent authorities. These are the obligations of the Qatari government.”

He added that the International Committee of the Red Cross was regarded as a neutral body responsible for following up on the case.

“We have submitted our official correspondence, held meetings, and conveyed our demands to the Qatari government, including at the level of heads of state. We have also reminded Qatari officials of Qatar’s international responsibility,” he said.

Yaghoubi affirmed that the army had held meetings with officials at the Foreign Ministry and the General Staff of the Armed Forces, who had provided substantial support and cooperation in efforts to determine the pilots’ fate. After reviewing the available information, he said, the army concluded that the pilots were alive.

He added that the Qatari government had provided no documents proving that the pilots had been killed and that the matter was being pursued with international bodies.

Two Iranian fighter jets had attacked the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar at the start of the latest US-Israeli aggression against Iran. After successfully completing the bombing mission, the aircraft came under hostile fire on their return flight and crashed.

The body of Brigadier General Majid Kazemi was later recovered and returned to Iran, but the fate of the other three pilots remains unknown.

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