Iran confiscates UK Patrol Boats

[takao]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3826179.stm

wow

[skunk]

wow
It'll blow over. The Iranians can't WANT to have 8 Brits on their hands.

[3rdpath]

two of the boats were boston whalers...wtf!

somewhere there's a couple of pissed off generals waiting on a dock with tackle and reels...

[skunk]

two of the boats were boston whalers...wtf!
The Royal Navy goes prepared for ANY eventuality.

[Zaid]

well, iran has decided to prosecute the eight british soldiers.

bbc (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3828377.stm)

London's still trying for a diplomatic solution. I'd imagine that iran will try the eight simply to embarass the british.

[blackfox]

Anyone think that the Middle East has just about lost it's patience with the Western presence/intervention in the Region? In itself, unarmed boats veering only 1000m across a water border doesn't seem like much...but with US (and to a lesser extent UK) presence next door, and continued pressure/proposed sanctions on Iran vis-a-vis their Nuclear Program, this seems like a rhetorical gesture stemming from annoyance and frustration...although I admit I am partial to Iran, I do not necessarily suggest capitulating to their interests across the board, but if I was in charge of Western policy, I wouldn't want them to become more entrenched in the Chinese camp...just a little realpolitik...

[skunk]

this seems like a rhetorical gesture stemming from annoyance and frustration...although I admit I am partial to Iran, I do not necessarily suggest capitulating to their interests across the board, but if I was in charge of Western policy, I wouldn't want them to become more entrenched in the Chinese camp...just a little realpolitik...
I believe the UK's attitude to Iran is a lot less provocative than the US's. It looks like they're going to be released today anyway.

[kettle]

It will end with " If you wont let us have our nuclear program back, we won't let you have your boats back!"

America steps in to stop a blatant act of terrorism by dropping VERY heavy objects on them from a great height.

so begins act (I've lost count) three since 911?

Don't hold out much hope for these guys getting out alive. :(

[skunk]

Don't hold out much hope for these guys getting out alive. :(
The last thing these guys need is for the US to lend a "helping hand". I think the UK can deal with it. We don't have so many issues with Teheran.

[takao]

The last thing these guys need is for the US to lend a "helping hand". I think the UK can deal with it. We don't have so many issues with Teheran.

why do i suddenly have the picture of an elephant saying "i can help you with your expensive chinese dishes" in my mind

[skunk]

why do i suddenly have the picture of an elephant saying "i can help you with your expensive chinese dishes" in my mind
Dunno. It seems to be a common European nightmare these days. Maybe it's something in the water. :rolleyes:

[skunk]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=534316

Iran orders release of British sailors

AP

23 June 2004


Eight British sailors detained for illegally entering Iran's territorial waters will be released today, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said.

The men were detained on Monday in the Shatt al-Arab waterway that runs along the Iran-Iraq border as they were delivering a patrol boat for the new Iraqi Riverine Patrol Service. The waterway is known as the Arvand River in Iran.

A top military official told state-run radio that the sailors were being released because their intrusion into Iran's waters was apparently a mistake. Iran had earlier said the men would be prosecuted.

"Considering statements by British sailors that the boats carrying them mistakenly entered Iran's territorial waters, the armed forces decided to release the boats and their occupants," an Armed Forces spokesman General Ali Reza Afshar told the radio.

"Those detained were carrying full military equipment and specialised maps of the region. After our investigation, it became clear that the equipment was for use in their coastal patrol mission," the radio quoted Afshar as saying