From 10 Downing Street
There is “absolutely no justification” for Iran to hold the 15 sailors seized in the Persian Gulf last Friday, the Prime Minister said today.
Speaking in a television interview with GMTV earlier, he said that the British Government hopes that ongoing diplomatic efforts will secure their release.
But he added that the situation would “move into a different phase” if the personnel continued to be detained.
“… what they should understand is that we cannot have a situation where our servicemen and women are seized when actually they are in Iraqi waters under a UN mandate.
“In the end, it is a question really for the Iranian government as to whether they want to abide by international law or not.”
Speaking today on a visit to Turkey, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said that is in everyone’s interest for the matter to be resolved “speedily and peacefully”.
Foreign Office minister Lord Triesman has met with the Iranian ambassador to discuss the situation.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said yesterday that he was “utterly certain” that the British personnel were in Iraqi waters at the time they were detained.
The capture of these men and women was too well planned for it to have been just a circumstance of the British floating over into Iranian territory. Iranian operatives suddenly surrounded and overwhelmed the British vessel and captured them. It was planned.
There are only a couple of reasons that Iran would have taken the British Sailors and Marines. One is to provoke what they say they want which is open warfare with the West. The other is that they know the United States has been moving naval fleets into the Persian Gulf. They know they are vulnerable and having British personnel in Tehran gives them a buffer from the probability of retaliation from the United States from whatever Iran is planning for the West.
Are you telling me that Americans wouldn’t stop an Iranian vessel in US territory?
You always apply double standards. You decry Iran for having operatives in Iraq, meanwhile that same country is polluted with 150,000 American occupation troops.
BSC: ‘polluted’?? with American Troops??? They are lucky American Troops are there. In WWII the Germans tried to surrender to American Troops rather than Russian Troops. Everyone knows that American Troops are the kindest and fairest in the world.
Sometimes you have to chose sides and I chose the side of my country and you can call it double standard or whatever you like.
While you are sitting over there in Europe just remember who pulled your people out of the fire in both the world wars of the 20th century. And who, quite frankly, are pulling you out of the fire this time as well. While Europe is teaming with 30 - 50 % muslim populations that are causing them all sorts of problems, it’s AMERICA that will do the heavy lifting and keep you from losing your comfortable lifestyle. I would think being from Serbia you would understand that! SIT STILL - WE’VE GOT IT!
If you dishonor our Troops on this blog I’ll delete and ban you. My blog. My rules.
Isn’t interesting that the violance in Iraq has picked up after the Polosi vistit. The government of Iraq has split and the bombings have increased. What is Polosi doing going over to the middle east and creating more trouble? Where is her authority to do so? It that in her job discription as Speaker of the House? I don’t think so. If she gets her way, the violance you see there will be here soon!