Oh shit this could get nasty

15 British sailors seized by Iran

Story Highlights

• 15 British sailors on patrol in the Persian Gulf "seized" by Iranian navy
• Personnel were carrying out "routine" boarding of a vessel when apprehended
• UK government demands immediate and safe return of the sailors

LONDON, England (CNN) -- An Iranian naval patrol seized 15 British marines and sailors who had boarded a vessel suspected of smuggling cars off the coast of Iraq, military officials said.

The British government immediately demanded the safe return of its troops and summoned Tehran's London ambassador to explain the incident.

The Royal Marines and ordinary naval officers were believed to have been apprehended by up to six ships from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy who claimed they had violated Iranian waters.

British naval officials said the sailors, using small boarding craft, had completed an inspection of a merchant vessel in Iraqi waters when the Iranians arrived.

Commodore Nick Lambert, commander of the HMS Cornwall -- the frigate from which the British patrol had been deployed -- said the incident did not involve fighting or use of weapons.

"We've been assured from the scant communications that we've had from the Iranians at the tactical level that the 15 people are safely in their hands," he said.

The British defense ministry said that it was pursuing the incident "at the highest level."

There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.

Lambert said the British sailors had been on a "normal, routine boarding" of a vessel that had aroused suspicions as it navigated the Shatt al-Arab, a disputed waterway that marks the border between Iraq and Iran on the shores of the Persian Gulf. (Location map)

British military patrols have been given authority to board vessels in Iraqi waters under United Nations mandate and with the permission of the government in Baghdad.

He said the captain of the merchant vessel had been cleared to proceed and the two British inflatable patrol boats were readying for departure when they were surrounded by the Iranian navy and taken into Iranian waters.

Lambert said there is "absolutely no doubt in my mind" that the marines were in Iraqi waters. But, he said, "The extent and the definition of territorial waters in this part of the world is very complicated... We may well find, and I hope we find, that this is a simple misunderstanding at a tactical level," he said.

"There hopefully has been a mistake that's been made, and we'll see early clarification and early release of my people."

Lambert added that the marines were doing critical work, "protecting the oil platforms to ensure the economic future of Iraq."

He described the Iranian navy as "a multi-headed organization" that generally stays within its territory doing its business, "and we stay inside Iraqi territory doing our business."

British summoned the Iranian ambassador to London to explain his country's actions.

"The meeting was brisk but cordial," the UK Foreign Office said.

In Tehran -- which is currently marking the Iranian new year -- CNN's Aneesh Raman said there had been only passing mention of the incident on Iranian TV. Calls to officials had not been answered.

It was not immediately clear where in Iran the British personnel were taken.

There was a previous similar incident in 2004, when Iran stopped three British boats and seized eight sailors and six marines.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said at the time the three boats had crossed into Iran's territorial waters. The detained servicemen appeared on Iranian television blindfolded. They were released after Iran said it determined they had mistakenly crossed into Iran's waters. (Full story).

Mike Critchley, former British Navy officer and publisher of Warship World magazine, told CNN that the latest situation seemed to be a repeat of the earlier incident.

"Who knows, in a hot and hostile situation like the Middle East where things change on a daily basis, what the outcome will be," he said. (Full story)

"You can be absolutely sure that enormous pressure will be brought to bare on the Iranians to release these men who were operating under a United Nations Security Council Resolution as they are, week in and week out. What the outcome of that diplomatic pressure is no one knows at this stage of course."

Britain, the United States' main ally in Iraq, has a large military presence in southern Iraq, based out of the Shatt al-Arab port of Basra. A senior British Army officer on Friday accused Iranian agents of paying Iraqi militia to carry out attacks on coalition forces around Basra.


Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/23/iran.uk/index.html  

--Last edited by rzero on 2007-03-23 09:57:21 --

Ahmadinejad cancels U.N. Security Council visit

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has canceled a planned visit to the United Nations, blaming a delay in U.S. visas being issued to the crew of his airplane.

Ahmadinejad wanted to speak to the U.N. Security Council before a vote, scheduled for Saturday on sanctions against Iran.

Iran says it will still try to get high-level representation to the U.N. most likely the foreign minister.

The draft resolution comes after the U.N.'s atomic energy watchdog agency said last month it could not verify that Iran's uranium enrichment program was strictly for peaceful purposes, as Iran has said. Western nations, including the United States, believe Iran is using its uranium enrichment program to develop nuclear weapons.

The five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany came to an agreement on the resolution and presented it to the council last week, but several nations said they wanted to add amendments to it.

The acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Alejandro Wolfe, said Thursday some amendments were agreed to, but he offered no details about those.

"We embraced amendments that were consistent with the philosophy of this resolution ... and those that would enhance its clarity and enhance its value," he said.

Also Thursday, Dumisani Kumalo, the Ambassador from South Africa, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month, said he felt steamrollered into voting on the resolution on Saturday.

"I feel like I was misled," he said, adding that he had been led to believe that he would have more time to consider the resolution.

But French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere rebutted Kumalo's comments, saying discussions have gone on for some time.

"And we have the whole day tomorrow to discuss it," he said.


Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/23/iran.nuclear/index.html  

Yeah this is definately a provocative act on the Iranian's part.

It depends if they were caught in iranian waters or not. The fact that the soldiers havent been released yet is definately prvocative.

The Shatt-al Arab waterway is technically "Border Waters".  Neither Iraq or Iran claim it, and generally see it as a neutral "border" waterway.  That us, unless you're practically bumping up against the Iranian shoreline.

Both countries use it as commercia/military naval passage.


Either way, I'm sure if the Brits did cross in, they're telling the truth.  If they didn't, the Iranians tortured them.

Blair convenes Cobra team as crisis in Iran escalates
BRIAN BRADY WESTMINSTER EDITOR

THE official notification, delivered in secure calls yesterday morning to senior Whitehall figures, was the latest dramatic behind-the-scenes move to get to grips with a crisis that is now engulfing the government.

After a day of shadow-boxing with a notoriously slippery regime, Tony Blair is set to up the ante: the plight of the Shatt al-Arab 15 is officially a crisis and he will need the Cobra team to handle it.

The clutch of VIPs will gather in an operations room several floors below Downing Street as early as this afternoon to plot an escape from a military spat that now threatens to become an international incident.

The decision came just 24 hours after the crew of HMS Cornwall had been caught in the confusion of direct confrontation with Iranian vessels in the searing heat of the Gulf.

As the crew members were surrounded in their two rubber dinghies, the Cornwall's commander, Commodore Nick Lambert, frantically radioed back to his own top brass for instructions.

The response to the inquiry, which had been immediately patched through to Ministry of Defence headquarters in Whitehall, was to hold fire.

The order to show restraint has been observed throughout the forces and the British government in the 48 hours since, but it is unclear how long both sides will be able to maintain control.

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett's first response to the gathering crisis on Friday was to keep to diplomatic conventions. After a hurried phone call to Blair, she immediately summoned Iran's ambassador, Rasoul Movahedian, to her office to explain their behaviour.

After a meeting described by officials as "brisk but polite", Beckett emerged to stress that she was "extremely disturbed" by events.

It was an understated descrïption of the deep concern now gripping the government. Not only was Blair's administration alarmed at the risk to the 15 military personnel, which included at least one woman, but it was in no doubt over Tehran's ability to use their plight to make a wider point.

During a flurry of diplomatic activity in the hours after the snatch, the Iranians' rhetoric repeatedly elevated their action, and the alleged motives of the British, to a multinational affair. It was the eve of a second UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions over Iran's refusal to halt its programme to enrich uranium. The Shatt al-Arab 15 were, from the start, pawns in a perilous international game.

"It looks like too much of a coincidence," a senior Foreign Office insider confirmed.

The response was a no- nonsense demand for Iran to relent - and Britain freely used the international community to back up its case. Beckett dispatched the UK chargé d'affaires, Kate Smith, to confront the government in Tehran, armed with the insistence that the British sailors had been in Iraqi waters.

In the meantime, Blair made a personal call to European allies, including EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, to secure a public denunciation of the Iranians' actions.

"It was impressed on everyone how important it was to raise the diplomatic temperature, rather than keep a low profile and let them make a song and dance of the situation," one defence official said.

"There is nothing to be gained in provoking a confrontation, because that would be playing into their hands. But neither should we let them have it all their way. We tried that before and we're still trying to get our kit back."

The smaller-scale precedent, the taking of six British marines and two sailors on the same waterway in June 2004, was a painful lesson. The personnel were only returned after they had been paraded blindfold on Iranian television and admitted entering Iranian waters illegally. Three years on, the government is still pressing Iran for the return of its boats and kit, including valuable radar equipment.

The degree of concern felt across Whitehall was demonstrated yesterday, when Movahedian was called back to the Foreign Office, this time to see Beckett's minister, Lord Triesman. The British were clearly attempting to warn off Tehran before it could begin to use the servicemen and women as a significant propaganda tool.

It was, however, a race against time - and through it all, the diplomats and the politicians were acutely aware that Tehran has built a foreign policy on disregarding diplomatic niceties.

Top level
COBRA is an acronym for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, where its meetings are held.

Tony Blair, senior ministers, police and security chiefs all take part. It is called after events such as 9/11, 7/7

and can evoke emergency powers such as suspending Parliament or restricting movement.

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=462812007

I'm very curious as to how this is going to proceed...

Britain puts pressure on Iran; female sailor may be freed

The one woman among a group of 15 British military personnel seized by Iran will be freed today or Thursday, Iran's foreign minister has told a reporter for CNN Turk. Earlier, Britain increased pressure on Iran, releasing evidence it said showed the group was operating in Iraqi waters and freezing bilateral contacts until the crisis is resolved.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/28/iran.uk.sailors/index.html

I, for one, am offended that they made her wear that black head cover. If they came here, we don't say "HEY! TOWEL-HEAD! TAKE THAT SHIT OFF OR YOU GET NO SOUP!"
(The proof is in the puddin')

Yes even you can get your very own Drivers license with a covered face. Pretty stupid. Leave it to New Jersey. But seriously, if you can get your DL with a covered face, leave this bitch alone. Then again, after looking at her face, more of it needs to be covered.


Just the devils advocate, thats all...

Actual photo; Afghani Driver's License


More...







Actual ID Photo




...and this one just made me laugh...

http://dfile.nl/weblog/ramonschuttinga/2007/03/31/iran-update-31-3-07/

 

--Last edited by rzero on 2007-03-31 03:35:02 --

Quote :

Britain sends note to Iran amid threat of trial British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said Saturday she had written to Iran to seek a peaceful resolution to the standoff over 15 sailors and marines, now held for nine days. Iran has launched a legal inquiry and could put the caprives on trial, its ambassador to Russia was quoted as saying. http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/31/iran.sailors/index.html

A fucking letter. Blair clearly doesnt have the cojones Thatcher had.

Dude, The U.K. HAS no cajones left.   The whole country is WHIPPED....

Quote :

Ministers seek deal with Iran for captives Ministers are preparing a compromise deal to allow Iran to save face and release its 15 British military captives by promising that the Royal Navy will never knowingly enter Iranian waters without permission. http://dfile.nl/weblog/ramonschuttinga/2007/04/01/iran-hostage-crisis-britain-to-surrender/

Europe has a serious testosteron-deficit. *vomits*

Most of the European men with balls died fighting in WWII.  

After all, they were fighting for 3 years before the Americans got involved.

Britains finest!

http://media.newsbusters.org/media/2007-04-06MSNBCJacobs.wmv