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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| British sailors being interrogated: Iran | |
| 2007-03-26 | |
TEHERAN - Fifteen British navy personnel seized by Iran last week are currently being interrogated and will have to answer to allegations they violated Iranian waters, an Iranian official said on Monday.
Mostafavi’s comments came as Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in a statement issued in Baghdad that the Britons were detained while operating in Iraqi waters as London has already claimed. The 15 were seized on Friday in the Shatt Al Arab waterway in the northern Gulf that divides Iraq and Iran. ‘The British sailors are currently being interrogated and must clarify whether they entered Iranian waters deliberately or by mistake,’ the Iranian official said. ‘When it becomes clear, a decision will be made,’ he added. Mostafavi denied reports that Iran wanted to exchange the British sailors with Iranians seized by US forces in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil in January. Britain’s ambassador to Teheran, Geoffrey Adams, met a senior Iranian foreign ministry official on Sunday seeking a meeting with the detained service personnel, 14 men and one woman. He was seeking another meeting with Iranian officials on Monday, the British embassy said. | |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #9 At the very least, the British Government should address a formal request to the International Red Cross; that the IRC must send a mission to Tehran, where the mission would monitor Iran's compliance with the various articles of the Hague and Geneva Conventions. |
| Posted by: mrp 2007-03-26 17:27 |
| #8 Iran has been playing this game for quite some time and something has to be done about it.They started with the Am Embassy, this last Leb. war and now with the Brits.etc.,etc and I do not think that war is the answer..............we do have them economically quasi strangled.........what else? |
| Posted by: Ulaitch Poodle3518 2007-03-26 16:03 |
| #7 Well said Greg. The thing that bugs me most is that this simply was an act of war. The British have to respond. If they do not it sets a horrible precedent that just encourages the Iranians. Damn the Iranians are just begging for it. |
| Posted by: RJB in JC MO 2007-03-26 15:56 |
| #6 Alex, far be it from me to not criticize the Brits for lackluster enthusiasm in starting a shooting war with Iran, but thus far Britain has been among the US' staunchest allies in the WOT and Tony Blair has stood right there shoulder-to-shoulder with us since the day after 911. Calling him a "homo" is unfair, not to mention phobic and illiterate. It is a bad precedent to set here at Rantburg where we at least try to maintain an air of intellectual honesty. You can do better. |
| Posted by: FOTSGreg 2007-03-26 15:44 |
| #5 So will the human rights folks make a big fuss about the violations of the Geneva Convention Iran is planning here? Last I heard, the Conventions say you can't try a captured soldier, or interrogate them. Let me know when the march on Times Square will be, I can probably make time to participate. |
| Posted by: WhitecollarRedneck 2007-03-26 12:11 |
| #4 Just for the record. |
| Posted by: mrp 2007-03-26 10:58 |
| #3 The Brits should have known better than to send patrols without any proper backing and support........... |
| Posted by: Ulaitch Poodle3518 2007-03-26 10:40 |
| #2 I totally agree, makes me sick to be British just thinking about the Homo Blair |
| Posted by: Alex 2007-03-26 10:09 |
| #1 They have gone after us Brits as Blair and the lefties lack courage/conviction unlike Maggie Thatcher. Bush would have retaliated by now Blair is too touchy feelie just like Clinton!!! |
| Posted by: Ebbolump Glomotle9608 2007-03-26 09:28 |