Tehran, Doha to form joint task force to follow up on agreements: Momeni
Iran to send technical team to Qatar for further talks on Iranian pilots
Iran and Qatar have formed a joint task force between their interior ministries to follow up on decisions and agreements reached between the two countries during recent meetings, Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said.
Speaking after a meeting with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha on Tuesday, Momeni said Tehran and Doha held a “good and constructive” discussion on issues of mutual interest.
According to Qatar’s News Agency (QNA), the two sides discussed developments in the region and ongoing de-escalation efforts to strengthen security and regional and international stability amid the US aggression against Iran.
Qatar, alongside Pakistan, has mediated between Iran and the US to end the ongoing conflict between the two countries.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry official Ibrahim Al-Hashmi told a regular press briefing on Tuesday that the US and Iran are still engaged in talks despite an apparent deadlock seven months into the conflict.
“I can confirm that the talks are continuing and the exchange of messages between different parties are continuing via Qatar and its regional partners,” Ibrahim Al-Hashmi said.
“As you know, the scale of this conflict and the magnitude of the price that the whole world is paying require us to put our best efforts to end this immediately through a negotiable solution on the negotiation table,” the official added.
Fate of Iranian pilots
Earlier on the day, Momeni held separate talks with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani on several issues including Iranian pilots held in the Persian Gulf country.
He said Tehran will send a technical team to Qatar to hold further discussions on the fate of Iranian pilots held in Qatar.
Momeni said negotiations have already been held on the issue of the Iranian pilots “and it was decided that a technical delegation would visit again and hold meetings as part of continuing the work.”
The case dates back to March 2, when two Iranian Air Force Su-24 aircraft carried out a mission against Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar during the US-Israeli aggression against Iran.
The aircraft were struck by “enemy air defense” systems while returning from the mission, forcing the pilots to eject.
One of the four Iranian pilots, Majid Kazemi, was killed, while the other three — Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Emran Behrouzian — were captured alive by Qatari forces.
Kazemi’s body was later returned to Iran and buried in the southern city of Shiraz in late July. Doha initially denied that the pilots had been captured by Qatari forces.
Iran says that three pilots were detained by Qatari forces after their aircraft were downed in Qatar’s airspace.