Hoshang Hasan-Yari, an expert on the Middle East and military affairs, citing the announcement by the commander of the Missing Persons Search Committee of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic regarding the captivity in Qatar of three Sukhoi-24 pilots, said that there are many ambiguities about this claim and it must be clarified why the Islamic Republic has raised it six months after the incident and whether it has any credible evidence.

He added that putting forward such a claim against Qatar could further weaken the Islamic Republic’s relations with one of the few regional mediators.