[Blitz]

Hostage fears over troops seized by Iran
Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor, and James Bone in New York

Britain’s crisis with Iran deepened last night after Tehran justified seizing 15 British servicemen by claiming that they had strayed into Iranian territorial waters “illegally”.

The announcement appeared to rule out any hope that the incident was a simple mistake that could be quickly rectified.

Instead, there were growing fears that the 15 British sailors and Royal Marines were victims of a deliberate ambush on the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway by Iranian Revolutionary Guards, perhaps seeking to use the captives as hostages in the increasingly tense stand-off between the West and Iran over its nuclear programme.

As tensions rose on the Iraqi border, the US House of Representatives set a deadline of August 31 next year for the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq. In Baghdad, Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister, Salam al-Zubaie, was seriously injured in a suicide attack within his fortified compound.
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Opening quote The fear must be that the fate of the British servicemen will now be connected to what happens at the UN with regards to the resolution against Iran Closing quote
Richard Beeston

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Iran blamed Britain for the border incident. “British chargé d’affaires Kate Smith was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to receive a firm protest from Iran against the illegal entry of British sailors into Iranian territorial waters,” said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran.

“This makes a number of times that British sailors have illegally entered Iranian territorial waters at Arvand Roud. They were arrested by border guards for investigation and questioning,” the statement added.

The defiant Iranian message appeared to dismiss earlier appeals by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Iranian Ambassador in London for the British servicemen to be returned immediately with their equipment.

The incident occurred mid-morning when a boarding party left HMS Cornwall, the flagship of the multinational task force in the northern Gulf, in two small craft to inspect an Iranian merchant ship.

When the inspection was completed the British were surrounded by six larger vessels from a Revolutionary Guards naval unit.

The Iranian ships are normally armed with heavy mounted machineguns while the British had only side arms to protect themselves. The British personnel were then escorted at gunpoint into Iranian territorial waters, where they have now disappeared.

Commodore Nick Lambert, the commander of HMS Cornwall, said that a helicopter monitored the boats being moved up the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which demarcates the Iran-Iraq border, towards an Iranian base.

There were hopes that the situation could be resolved as it was in 2004 when eight Royal Marines and sailors were abducted in similar circumstances by the Iranians. The men were paraded on television and made to “apologise” but were eventually freed.

Relations with Britain have since become much more strained. British commanders in southern Iraq have openly accused Iran of arming, training and funding Shia militias responsible for attacks on British forces.

The Iranians are also angered by a build-up of US forces in the region and the arrest and detention of five of their officials in northern Iraq by the US military in January.

There are also fresh tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme. Britain is the co-author of a United Nations Security Council Resolution, due to be voted on today, that would impose sanctions on Tehran.

President Ahmadinejad, the Iranian leader who was due in New York today to debate the motion, abruptly cancelled his visit last night, citing delays in obtaining US visas for his entourage.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle1560788.ece

[EDF]

how very encouraging. i havent been current on news lately, so this is the first ive heard of it

i bet in tehran the president is poking his aides in the ribs and saying with a wink, "i sure hope they dont send in delta force to rescue them"

[TallGoofyBastard]

After several days of negotiation, Iran will release the sailors back to the British government as a show of good will. This will be an attempt at making the country look as though they are being very reasonable.

[Noodle Boy]

Go go SAS

[BrentStargazer]

See, the UN didn't like helping the US because we snubbed our noses at them when they told us they didn't like the idea of going into Iraq.

However, if Iran starts shit like this on its own, they may just be looking up the barrels of the militaries of the entire EU.

Eh, maybe.

[JoshuiMora]

Maybe, will save us from having to do it.

Saving the world is tiring.

[Knight of Ni]

I doubt it. The Bush administration is certainly looking for any reason it can to bomb (or even invade, who knows?!) Iran, but the last thing Iran wants is to get bombed (crazy Ahmadinajad is NOT the high authority), and the last thing a Democratic congress is going to do is fund another poorly thought-out "liberation" snafu.

[rub the bear]

If these were American troops, we'd probably be gearing up for war as we speak. If the Brits back down then I'm afraid they'll be pussies.

Also, I'm calling war with Iran if the hostages aren't returned promptly.

[Knight of Ni]

Did we go to war with China when they captured some of ours?

...Did we go to war with Iran when they captured some of ours?

[rub the bear]

Bah who am I kidding. We're not going to war again.

Even though this time it could be justified.

[Knight of Ni]

Originally Posted by Jaf

Bah who am I kidding. We're not going to war again.

Even though this time it could be justified.

That would be a terrible justification if it just happened once. Almost worse than Iraq's justification, and Iraq's justification keeps changing!

[JoshuiMora]

Originally Posted by Knight of Ni

That would be a terrible justification if it just happened once. Almost worse than Iraq's justification, and Iraq's justification keeps changing!

The only real justification for Iraq is so that we can have some place under American control that is worse than detroit.

[rub the bear]

Originally Posted by Knight of Ni

That would be a terrible justification if it just happened once. Almost worse than Iraq's justification, and Iraq's justification keeps changing!

Well the justification would be in Iran's refusal to step down nuclear development more than a hostage situation.

[Knight of Ni]

Originally Posted by Jaf

Well the justification would be in Iran's refusal to step down nuclear development more than a hostage situation.

History repeats itself without teaching so much as one generation. So far the only solid evidence that Iran's nuclear program is dangerous is that they lied about over-enriched uranium that isn't even close to weapons grade. I honestly think they are looking for nuclear weapons, but do you really think it would be alright to go to war right now on the basis of "maybe"?

[BrentStargazer]

Originally Posted by Knight of Ni

History repeats itself without teaching so much as one generation. So far the only solid evidence that Iran's nuclear program is dangerous is that they lied about over-enriched uranium that isn't even close to weapons grade. I honestly think they are looking for nuclear weapons, but do you really think it would be alright to go to war right now on the basis of "maybe"?

Ya know...i'm thinking Iran has links to Osama and also are trying to get Weapons of Mass Destruction!

Now we just wait for Bush's declaration to the Iran President to get out of the country within 48 hours. Who wants to take bets on what we'll call this one? I got 5 bucks on Operation Saddam Part 2.

[rub the bear]

Originally Posted by Knight of Ni

History repeats itself without teaching so much as one generation. So far the only solid evidence that Iran's nuclear program is dangerous is that they lied about over-enriched uranium that isn't even close to weapons grade. I honestly think they are looking for nuclear weapons, but do you really think it would be alright to go to war right now on the basis of "maybe"?

What's the worst that could happen?

[rub the bear]

Oh right.

[BrentStargazer]

Hijinks!

[rub the bear]

Adventures!

[BrentStargazer]

Originally Posted by Jaf

Adventures!

Ernest Goes to Iran!

[Knight of Ni]

Originally Posted by BrentStargazer

Ernest Goes to Iran!

Ah, I was wondering how he died.































It was cancer.