http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21437272-1702,00.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/britain-demands-release-of-sailors/2007/03/24/1174597896777.html
The Iranian Navy has reportedly captured 15 sailors of the Royal Navy who were conducting a search of a merchant ship in Iraqi waters and taken them into Iranian waters.
What has prompted this action? Is Iran intending to hold them hostage while demanding the return of the former deputy defence minister who recently defected to the West? Concessions on economic sanctions? Maybe they are trying to provoke the West to give them a b*tch-slapping?
Any thoughts?
" This story is from our news.com.au network Source: AFP
Iran navy detains British soldiers
* From correspondents in Tehran
* March 23, 2007
At least 15 British sailors are being detained by Iranian navy vessels in the Gulf.
The British Ministry of Defence confirmed the detainment, adding that it was "urgently" seeking clarification from Tehran.
Details of the incident remained sketchy.
“The British government is demanding the immediate and safe return of our people and equipment,” the Defence Ministry in London said, adding that the sailors had been detained after a routine boarding of a merchant ship in Iraqi waters.
British military spokesman Major David Gell would confirm only that “we are chasing these reports and we are aware of an incident in the north of the Persian Gulf".
“There has been an incident there but we have no details at this stage,” he said.
News reports had originally suggested that there were American military personnel among those detained in the Shatt al-Arab waterway close to the southern stretch of Iraq's border with Iran." |