In a move that has all the diplomatic warmth of a cold war, Iran has formally asked the International Committee of the Red Cross to help free three pilots it claims Qatar has been holding hostage for six months. The accusation, leveled by Brig Gen Mohammad Bagherzadeh, comes after two Iranian fighter jets were shot down by air defenses on the third day of the US-Iran war, which apparently is a thing now.

The pilots in question - Javad Salehi, Abdul Majid Dashtian, and Imran Behroshian - were allegedly captured after ejecting from their jets during a mission targeting a Qatari military base. A fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, didn't make it; his body was returned, which is nice of Qatar, if true.

Qatar, for its part, is doing that thing where you deny everything with a straight face. Spokesperson Majed Mohammed Al Ansari said Qatar was 'surprised by these misleading statements' and insisted that its search and rescue teams did everything but bake cookies for the pilots. According to Al Ansari, the pilots 'violated Qatari airspace,' and Qatar took 'necessary measures' to defend its territory, which apparently includes shooting down jets and capturing their crews.

Al Ansari also claimed Qatar contacted Iran to hand over the remains of one pilot, but Tehran hasn't responded to the invitation to review the search and rescue details. Because nothing says 'we're totally innocent' like a passive-aggressive invitation to review your rescue efforts.

Meanwhile, the ICRC's Mirjana Spojlaric is presumably scheduling a meeting room for what promises to be an awkward conversation. And in related news, a US aircraft carrier is on its way to relieve the USS Lincoln, which had issues, and the US says a helicopter fired missiles to disable a ship breaking the Iran blockade. So, you know, just another Tuesday in the Gulf.