Iran's seizure of British sailors 'unjustified': Blair

[RedHot25]

Surprised that this isn't posted on here yet (I don't think so, anyways?):

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/0...n-britain.html

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/0...n-britain.html

The Iranian military questioned 15 detained British navy personnel Saturday and said they confessed to illegally entering the country's territorial waters, as Iran accused Britain of "blatant aggression."
Britain has demanded the return of the sailors and denied they had strayed into Iranian waters while searching for smugglers off Iraq's coast.

.....


The British sailors had just searched a merchant ship when they and their two inflatable boats were intercepted by Iranian vessels Friday at around 10:30 a.m. near the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway, U.S. and British officials said.
The Iranian vessels surrounded them and escorted them away at gunpoint.



....



"Well, it's curious, because the British navy is maintaining that they were very definitely in Iraqi territorial waters, carrying out a mission approved by the UN and the Iraqi government," Hollis told CBC Newsworld.
"At the very least, for the Iranians, this will serve to send a message that what's going on in Iraq, with the U.S. and the British forces there, and what's going on in the region more generally, with the military deployment, is considered by Tehran menacing to them, a threat to them."

[peter12]

Could you imagine how ing nuts the world would go if the British navy abducted Iranian solders and wouldn't give them back?

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by peter12

Could you imagine how ing nuts the world would go if the British navy abducted Iranian solders and wouldn't give them back?

The world would not go nuts if the British Navy snatched up 15 Iranian soldiers who were "patrolling" from a frigate in the English Channel, and judging by the map on this page, it looks like a comparable situation.

It's a pretty stupid move on Iran's part and I don't agree with what they've done, but I also don't agree that the world community would get all up in arms (no pun intended) if the situation were reversed.

[Cowperson]

Sounds like they want a prisoner exchange . . . . for the five Iranians captured in Iraq and still being held.

Cowperson

[mykalberta]

Where exactly was the boat supposedly captured?

I am assuming the Shatt al-Arab waterway? If it was there they definatelyt have cause to capture them, if it was along the coast its more iffy.

I dont see US or UK Special forces using a boat to go into Iran when there are satelites, ULAV etc.

I am going to have to call shinanigans on this.

Once Bush is gone and the US is back to not messing around about the world but dealing with its own borders (GO GIULIANI), Iran will be the EU's problem.

MYK