Iran has called for the release of three Iranian pilots it said were captured by Qatar after two fighter jets were hit by air defences during a military operation at the start of the US-Iran war.

In a letter to the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Iran’s Brig Gen Mohammad Bagherzadeh said the pilots – Javad Salehi, Abdul Majid Dashtian, and Imran Behroshian – had been held captive for six months.

He said the body of a fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, was returned after he was killed in the same operation on 2 March 2026 – the third day of the war.

Qatar “categorically denied” Iran’s claims and said it was “surprised by these misleading statements”.

Gen Bagherzadeh said the three pilots had been captured by Qatar after they ejected from their jets during the combat mission on a Qatari military base.

In the letter to ICRC chief Mirjana Spoljaric, published by Iranian media, he accused Qatar of violating “the inalienable rights of these prisoners, contrary to all international laws and regulations”.

The letter also claimed the three pilots had not been allowed to meet or contact their families.

Qatar’s foreign affairs spokesperson Majed Mohammed Al Ansari said contact had been made with the pilots “after they violated Qatari airspace”, but it did not receive a response.

“The necessary measures were taken to defend our territory in accordance with international law,” he added in a statement on X.

Al Ansari said Qatar’s search and rescue teams “carried out their duties to the fullest extent in searching for the pilots’ remains”.

He said Qatar contacted Iran to “co-ordinate the handover of the remains of one of the pilots that were recovered”, and that Tehran had yet to respond to an invitation to review details of the search and rescue operation.

Two Iranian female footballers who publicly defied their government have become Australian citizens.

Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, 34, and Fatemeh Pasandideh, 22, were naturalised in Brisbane, Queensland, on Wednesday.

Ramezanisadeh said it was a “truly special and unforgettable day”, while her teammate said “this moment means more than words can express”.

They were among seven members of Iran’s national team to be granted humanitarian visas while in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup in March – but the other five changed their minds and returned home.

It was feared the team would face repercussions for refusing to sing the Iranian anthem at their opening match, just days after the US-Israeli war against Iran began.

Under pressure from the Iranian community in Australia, authorities initially gave the players a chance to seek asylum – in the end though, only Ramezanisadeh and Pasandideh took up the offer.

There was never any question about whether both would become citizens, but the decision comes as the Australian government prepares to introduce tougher visa rules aimed at cutting migration.

The new rules are expected to include restricting the work and appeal rights of asylum seekers and a ban on visitors applying for family visas.

The Australian government has come under increasing pressure from political opponents that promise stricter migration policy, while refugee groups have criticised Australia’s current measures, saying they put the safety of asylum seekers at risk.

Ramezanisadeh and Pasandideh were given their citizenship certificates at a ceremony attended by Australian Interior Minister Tony Burke.

“It’s a new beginning and a place I’m proud to call home,” Pasandideh said.

Ramezanisadeh recalled “all the challenges we faced” and added that she felt “proud and deeply grateful to become an Australian citizen.”

The two players have since been training with A-League Women’s team Brisbane Roar, planning to continue their elite sporting careers in Australia.

The drama around the Iranian team unfolded against the background of the war back in their home country which began on 28 February, when Israel and the US launched joint air strikes.

Concerns grew about the team’s safety after footage emerged of a host on state TV calling them “traitors” who ought to be punished for their silence during the Iranian anthem on 2 March.

Human rights activists have said the women who returned to Iran may have been pressured to reverse their decisions through threats against their families.

Iran’s sports ministry said at the time that the returnees had “defeated the enemy’s plans” against them through their “national spirit and patriotism”.

Iran reacted with fury to the assault which it said had killed one sailor and injured several others. The foreign ministry said Iran had “never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the attack represented “a blatant UN Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war.”

The incident “CANNOT GO UNANSWERED,” he wrote on X.

In his own statement on Monday, Sybiha included Araghchi’s post, with the words “Iranian lies” posted across it.

He also accused Iran of trying to shift attention away from Russia’s attacks on ships carrying grain from Ukrainian ports, which he said were threatening global food security.

For its part, Ukraine has been relentlessly targeting Russian shadow fleet of oil tankers, looking to choke off a major source of revenue for the Kremlin.

Along with drone strikes on oil depots and the Wildberries online retail warehouses, what Zelensky calls Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions campaign” is having increasingly serious impact on the Russian economy.

But some experts question the wisdom of Kyiv’s decision to pick a fight with Iran.

“The main idea… is to disrupt trading routes and cause as much damage as possible,” former intelligence official Ivan Stupak told the BBC.

“But it’s not a good idea for Ukraine to have another battlefront with Iran. It’s not good for us,” he added.

Olha Polishchuk from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (Acled) said the Caspian Sea strike was “less about opening a new front against Tehran” and instead could be seen as an extension of Kyiv’s targeting of networks supporting the Russian war effort.

“Targeting that route allows Kyiv to put further pressure on Russia’s supply networks beyond the traditional battlefield,” she said.

Two US service members were killed and one remains missing after Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in Jordan on Friday, military officials said.

The US Central Command (Centcom) said four US service members were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan but have since been discharged. Others who suffered minor injuries have returned to duty.

Jordan’s military earlier said it had intercepted 10 Iranian missiles fired into its airspace overnight, without reporting any damage.

The US military said it had carried out the seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran since President Donald Trump declared their temporary ceasefire agreement “over”.

The US death toll in the conflict has risen to 16 after an American Navy pilot who went missing earlier this month was declared dead, marking the second increase in the toll this week.

Military officials did not disclose the identities of those killed, nor did they provide details about the circumstances of the incident or where in Jordan the latest attack took place.

In a statement on Saturday, Centcom said: “Two US service members in Jordan were killed in action as US Central Command (Centcom) and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Additionally, one service member is currently missing.

“Out of respect for the families, Centcom will withhold additional information, including the identities of the fallen warriors, until 24 hours after the next of kin have been notified.”

The 15-member Security Council is meeting in emergency session on Thursday morning to address the escalating tensions in the Gulf region following Iran attacks in recent days on Bahrain and Kuwait while Tehran and Washington continue to trade strikes over the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint. Stay tuned for live updates.

Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz, an Iran hawk in Congress, questioned the $300bn fund for Iran.

“Giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea,” Cruz told reporters. “I think the president, unfortunately, is receiving bad advice.”

Earlier on Wednesday, US officials held a media briefing, where they read out the text verbatim from the memo and denied the US was required to pay “a cent of money” to Iran under the $300bn fund.

As a hypothetical example, one official said that if Iran “behaves”, Emirati authorities could build a power plant in Iran, with US blessing.

At the G7 summit, Trump said reports that the US would give Iran money under the fund were a “fake story”.

“We don’t give them money,” he says. “We don’t give them any of that.”

But he also said Iranian assets frozen during the war should be returned.

“It’s not our money, it’s their money, and we froze it,” Trump said. “At a certain point in time, I guess we’re going to have to give it back.”

He has previously railed against former US President Barack Obama for unfreezing $1.7bn in Iranian assets, including interest, under a 2015 nuclear agreement with the country. Trump scrapped the Obama era deal during his first term in the White House.

Democrats, meanwhile, were withering in their assessment of Trump’s plan.

New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen told the BBC that it was “a very bad deal” and did not address issues such as Iran’s support for regional proxies, like the militant group Hezbollah, or its missile programme.

“It’s not accomplished any of the aims that President Trump laid out at the start of the war,” she said.

Mazaar’s small motorbike is so laden with plastic canisters filled with petrol that there’s barely room for him to sit.

His worn-out bike is carrying five 70-litre oil containers, weighing roughly 600 pounds (272kg) in total.

The fuel hangs precariously from the sides of his bike, strapped on with rope and string.

He bought it at an open-air fuel market in Mastung, in Balochistan, Pakistan’s biggest and poorest province, where he lives.

Pick-up trucks loaded with plastic containers take fuel there to sell, having smuggled it across the border from Iran.

While the illegal smuggling of petroleum products from Iran into Pakistan has been taking place for decades, there are signs it has been increasing in recent months as a result of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

With the war heavily disrupting flows of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, fuel prices have surged, boosting demand in Pakistan for cheaper smuggled petrol and diesel from Iran.

Like thousands of smugglers in Balochistan, Mazaar, whose name we’ve changed for his safety, ferries fuel to other open-air markets and unofficial petrol stations.

He’s getting ready to travel 350km (about 220 miles) through one of the hottest regions on Earth to take the fuel to the neighbouring province, Sindh.

Temperatures in Balochistan can reach up to 50C (120F), causing the plastic fuel canisters to swell and soften.

If they split or the lid leaks while Mazaar is riding, there’s a risk of the fuel catching fire and even exploding. Smugglers are regularly killed this way.