Translation of “Lebanon Debate”
The Iranian army announced that 3 of its pilots are still alive and detained in Qatar, after their Sukhoi SU-24 fighters crashed during attack missions carried out last March, amid direct Iranian criticism of the way the Qatari authorities dealt with the file.
According to a report by journalist Assaf Rosenzweig on the Israeli “N12” channel, Iranian authorities said that Doha prevents the detained pilots from having any contact with their family members or official officials in Tehran.
The announcement comes in light of previous reports that talked about a complex Qatari role during the war. According to what was reported by the Washington Post, Qatar ran a secret communications channel with Iran at the beginning of the confrontations, and proposed, on its own initiative, to stop the Ras Laffan facility, which the report described as the largest gas facility in the world.
According to the report, the aim of the move was to cause a shock in the energy market and raise global prices, thus imposing severe economic pressure on the United States and Israel and pushing them to stop the fighting. In return, Doha demanded full immunity and an Iranian pledge not to target its oil and gas facilities.
In practice, Qatar stopped operating the facility on the third day of the war, officially justifying its decision on security concerns. However, according to the report, satellite images showed that the facility was not exposed to any damage at that time, which was considered an indication that its closure was a deliberate move.
Qatari officials completely denied this account, describing it as a false report aimed at harming Doha’s relations with Washington and undermining its position as a mediator. They also stressed that the measures taken were aimed exclusively at protecting workers and facilities.
The report highlighted what it described as the “double game” played by Qatar, in light of its hosting of Al Udeid Base, which is the main American air base in the region, in addition to its hosting of the leadership of the “Hamas” movement and its participation in gas fields with Iran.
He added that senior officials in the US administration and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) were aware of Qatar’s attempts to reach an independent deal behind them, but Washington preferred not to enter into a confrontation with the emirate, and also refrained from carrying out additional attacks inside Iran following contacts made by leaders of the Gulf states.
Ultimately, the Qatari attempt to spare its facilities from attack was unsuccessful. In mid-March, Iran targeted the Ras Laffan facility with missiles and destroyed large parts of it, causing long-term damage, shaking the global energy market, and bringing Qatar directly into the heart of the regional confrontation.
The announcement of the survival of the three Iranian pilots opens a new chapter in the tense relationship between Tehran and Doha, after the differences moved from secret communication channels and energy facilities to the issue of prisoners to whom Iran is demanding access.
