Iranian Navy ‘seizes’ 15 British Naval Personal

[Maximus]

According to CNN.com 15 British Marines on patrol in the Persian Gulf have been "seized" by the Iranian navy. An Iraqi fisherman told the news agency the incident took place early on Friday in the Shatt al-Arab waterway that marks the southern stretch of Iraq's border with Iran.

According to the British MOD the Marines were "engaged in routine boarding operations of merchant shipping in Iraqi territorial waters", when they were seized.

Reuters reporting: The British Foreign Office said Iran's ambassador in London had been summoned and Britain was demanding their immediate safe release.

More at Sky News and Ireland.com.

[badinage]

Its not as big a deal as it sounds at first glance - it happened back in the summer of 2004 as well:

In 2004, Iran detained eight British servicemen for three days after they allegedly strayed over the maritime border

If these men were seized inside Iraqi waters, as appears to be the case, simply because they searched civilian Iranian vessels, then its a little more serious, but Iran and Iraq have been having regular coastal disputes for decades

[EamonMechanic]

British marines = wimps ? No fenians to kick down that way.

[An Ghearb]

Its not as big a deal as it sounds at first glance - it happened back in the summer of 2004 as well:

Yeah, but this time it's "Personal".

[A guy called Dave]

British marines = wimps ? No fenians to kick down that way.

Would you rather they started shooting? Muppet..

[terry666]

British marines = wimps ? No fenians to kick down that way.

Yer, I suppose you could easily pass their selection course which is the longest of any infantry or marine unit in the world. They would have had orders not to engage the Iranians unless fired upon.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world ... 35&k=66941



"While they were on board, a number of Iranian boats approached the waters in which they were operating - the Royal Navy are insistent that they were operating in Iraqi waters and not Iranian waters - and essentially captured the Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel at gunpoint," Pannell said.

[Jacobin]

Hi Pogo :wink:

[Catalpa]

Looks like things just became a whole lot worse for the Brits captured in Iranian waters.

They have now confessed ...


http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/?jp=MHAUMHOJMHGB

We might be seeing the emergence of a new 'Hostage Crises' between the West and Iran!

Imagine if these were US Sailors and Marines that had been taken prisoner?

the lead would probably have started flying already!

[paypal]

I understand the British have now admitted they were in Iranian waters.

It's quite irresponsible of them to be trespassing into another country's territorial waters, but now that the facts have been established there doesn't seem to be much point in detaining them.

An apology from the UK would be timely, but unlikely, I suppose. Blair has yet to apologize for far worse.

[Coles]

All the evidence suggests that the British Navy Sailors and Royal Marines were in Iranian waters. They had no right to be there and the British government should apologise immediately so secure their release. But of course they won't... Instead they will continue to misrepresent the incident as an act of Iranian aggression and raise the probability of a catastrophic regional conflict.