Updated

Iran publicly called on Qatar to free three air force pilots it says were shot down and captured after Doha downed two Iranian fighter jets at the start of the US-Iran war. Tehran claims the men have been detained since then. Qatar's foreign ministry flatly denied holding any Iranian pilots, saying on Saturday that the aircraft violated Qatari airspace in March and failed to respond to repeated attempts at contact. A Qatari spokesperson added that search and rescue teams later recovered the remains of one pilot and that Doha had contacted Tehran to arrange a handover, but said Iran had not yet responded to an invitation to review the case. The dispute highlights lingering friction between Iran and Gulf states following the war. In a related escalation, the United Arab Emirates accused Tehran of launching a fresh strike on one of its ships in the Strait of Hormuz.