Iran detains Brit servicemen.

[Chris]

We wont attack Iran over this but if they refuse to give them up something will have to be done maybe goto the UN

[Seven]

Yeah, or maybe Bush can supply Iran with some weapons again, maybe than they'll let them go.....

[Cobalt]

Pat Buchanan puts it into four sentences:

In his now-famous 2002 State of the Union, President Bush named Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an "axis of evil." He vowed that America would not allow any one of the three to acquire weapons of mass destruction.

In 2003, we attacked and invaded the only one of the three that did not have a secret nuclear program. And since that State of the Union, the other two have accelerated their programs to acquire the atomic weapons President Bush said they would not be permitted to have.

Kind of derailed the threat a bit but just thought it would fit better here with all the talk of Iran.

[Guest]

Iran is obviously taking advantage of the fact that the US is bogged down in Iraq and isnt going to be engaging in any further Mid-East military adventures for a while.

Having said that I think they'll be freed soon.

Also they should hone their navigation skills a bit.

[chrisfow]

Iran has said that the guys may be freed if they are sure they had "no ill intentions". Yes. These eight men were staging an invasion of Iran. What a load of b***ocks.

Re: navigation. The border between Iran and Iraq effectively changes with the tide (i'm not joking). It runs straight down the middle of the Shaat-Al-arab waterway, and if you watch the news tonight, you will see that, although wide in some places, it is mostly pretty narrow. Finally, take into account that visablity was atrocious when they committed the error and all in all they don't look so bad.

Finally, the Iranians claim they are SF. Only one of them had even an RM patch on their shoulder. Further to that, the Iranian TV channels filmed all the confiscated loot. What weapons were they carrying? Er...SA80s and a minimi! These guys wern't even RM BPT, let alone SBS or 22. What really annoys me is that the tv commentators don't have a clue what they are looking at on screen, so make up a load of rubbish. Like during the invasion last year, I woke up on the first morning and there were live pictures of troops searching Iraqis for 5-10 mins on BBC1.

The commentator was saying "We have absolutly no idea if the pictures we are seeing are of British or American soldiers". The squaddie was wearing C95 kit, carrying an SA80 and wearing a Brit style helmet. Further to that, he turned and flashed the union jack on his arm to the camera! Sheer incompetance!

Chris

[Josh]

Iran has said that the guys may be freed if they are sure they had "no ill intentions". Yes. These eight men were staging an invasion of Iran. What a load of b***ocks.

Re: navigation. The border between Iran and Iraq effectively changes with the tide (i'm not joking). It runs straight down the middle of the Shaat-Al-arab waterway, and if you watch the news tonight, you will see that, although wide in some places, it is mostly pretty narrow. Finally, take into account that visablity was atrocious when they committed the error and all in all they don't look so bad.

Finally, the Iranians claim they are SF. Only one of them had even an RM patch on their shoulder. Further to that, the Iranian TV channels filmed all the confiscated loot. What weapons were they carrying? Er...SA80s and a minimi! These guys wern't even RM BPT, let alone SBS or 22. What really annoys me is that the tv commentators don't have a clue what they are looking at on screen, so make up a load of rubbish. Like during the invasion last year, I woke up on the first morning and there were live pictures of troops searching Iraqis for 5-10 mins on BBC1.

The commentator was saying "We have absolutly no idea if the pictures we are seeing are of British or American soldiers". The squaddie was wearing C95 kit, carrying an SA80 and wearing a Brit style helmet. Further to that, he turned and flashed the union jack on his arm to the camera! Sheer incompetance!

Chris

'Ill intentions' doesn't defenately mean an invasion. The Footage I saw quite clearly showed a M16-M203, and if they were SF then they wouldn't have patches saying 'SBS' would they?

More Importantly none of this is relevant, All that matters is that these blokes come home safe and soon.
Its now down to the politicians to make the coggs turn the right way!

[Cinder]

I just saw an update on the news, the guys are from the 45 commandos and they were on a secret reconnaissance mission. 2 of them have been forced to admit they were spying on Iranian TV..

[chrisfow]

lol Josh I wasn't implying that they would have SBS patches on or wearing their nice new capbadge wut you know what I mean. I didn't see the M16/.203 but there were clearly a load of SA80s and a minimi.

Also, re: being forced to admit spying, the key is in the word: forced. On TV, nice PR advantage. Just words I recon, we'll see

They should be back soon, the Iranians surely can't hold on to them for much longer legitimatly. I really hope they don't anyway...

[joshualoftus]

Well, it seems things have turned out okay. Iran has released the lads.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... h_boats_15
Bugger all chance of getting all the kit back though, oh well, can't win 'em all.

[minimac]

The ribbing they will get! Makes you cringe!

Welcome home lads, good to see you back safe and sound. Thats the important thing - the kit is irrelevant unless your a penny pinching dick. Human life is priceless.

MM

[Kwik400]

Sky news has just reported that a British Diplomat has visited them and they are all ok and seem to be well-treated. They should be released sometime tomorrow

[joshualoftus]

Now apparently the Iranians have delayed the lads release for some reason.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=10828
Probably just trying to milk some kind of concessions from Britain. I hope they don't take too long with this.
Cheers guys,
Josh.

[bootneck]

Iran frees eight British troops
18:05 AEST Thu Jun 24 2004


AP - Eight British troops held by Iran have been freed and in are in the custody of British diplomats, the foreign office said.

The six Royal Marines and two British sailors, detained on Monday after their boats apparently strayed on to the Iranian side of the Shatt al-Arab waterway that runs along the Iran-Iraq border, were on their way to Tehran with British consular officials, the foreign office said.

"We have them now and we are flying up together with them ... from the place where they've been held up to Tehran," a Foreign Office spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

The spokesman said it was not yet clear what would happen when the troops reached the Iranian capital or where they would go from there, but said they would remain in the care of the British Embassy.

The foreign office had said earlier that three British diplomats were travelling from Tehran to Abadan, a port on the Shatt al-Arab and 90 kilometres west of Mah Shahr, to receive the eight servicemen.

Britain and Iran had given conflicting reports Wednesday of the captives' status, with Iran saying they had been freed and the British Foreign Office rebutting that claim.

Iran had earlier said it would prosecute the British servicemen for illegally entering Iranian territory but softened its position later saying they would be freed if interrogations proved the servicemen had "no bad intention."

[bootneck]

this is off sky news

IRAN HANDS OVER BRITONS

Eight British servicemen held in Iran have been freed.

British diplomats met the group in south-west Iran and travelled with them by plane to the British embassy in the capital Tehran.

The embassy is British sovereign territory.

Iran detained the men after their patrol boats strayed into Iranian coastal waters close to the Iraq border.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the men are in good spirits and well cared for.

Mr Straw said he couldn't say why it took so long to secure the men's release. "These things do sometimes take time," he told reporters in Downing Street, but he was confident that diplomatic relations with Tehran remained intact.


He said the return of the men's equipment, including three boats, was "the subject of further discussions".

Diplomats from the British embassy in Tehran had visited the men in the remote south-western town of Bandar Mahshahr where they have been held since their arrest on Monday.

There had been hopes that they would be released yesterday, but the on-off plans for the handover appeared to have hit an last-minute hitch.

The men were pictured on state television blindfolded again, walking in a line along the shore of the Shatt al Arab waterway.

The row had threatened to develop into a full-blown diplomatic crisis

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,3 ... 53,00.html

British servicemen freed by Iranians
10.18AM, Thu Jun 24 2004


Eight Royal Navy servicemen held by Iran have been freed and handed over to a team of British diplomats.

The group boarded a plane in the south west of the country at 8.30am British time and made a 90-minute flight to the Iranian capital Tehran.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "The eight sailors are now in the care of British diplomats."

The men are expected to be taken to the British Embassy but officials have been unable to say whether they would then return to Britain.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw welcomed the men's release.

He said they were "in very good spirits and were well cared for".

Mr Straw said the return of the men's equipment, including three boats, was "the subject of further discussions".

The servicemen were seized on Monday, increasing diplomatic tensions between the countries.

Diplomats and analysts have dozens of theories on Iran's motives for arresting the Britons, ranging from tackling British pressure on Iran's atomic program to an overzealous local commander.

Some suggest Iran is making a show of force, aware that troops from its arch-foe the United States are now deployed on both its eastern and western borders, in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Others say conservatives are flexing their muscles and the British are incidental pawns in a display of willpower from the new hard-line political order who took over parliament from reformists last month.

Television pictures have shown the men blindfolded and marching with their hands on their heads.

http://www.itv.com/news/243791.html

The eight British servicemen held in Iran since Monday have been released, the UK government has said.
The six Royal Marines and two sailors were flown to Tehran and have now been taken to the British embassy compound in the Iranian capital.

The men were seized in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, where they were training the Iraqi river patrol service.

British officials have said that the men may have mistakenly strayed over the maritime border.

The men were released at 0830BST on Thursday and arrived in Tehran around 90 minutes later.

THE SHATT AL-ARAB

120 miles of tidal waterway
Formed by Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Subject to 1639 Persian-Ottoman treaty
Southern stretch forms border between Iraq and Iran
River is vital trade route for both countries
Control of river one of disputes causing Iran-Iraq war in 1980
UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw welcomed their release.

"I'm obviously very pleased indeed, as, I know, their families and service colleagues will be, that they are now in British care," he said.

Mr Straw defended the fact that it has taken four days to secure the release of the men.

"These things do sometimes take time," he said.

Downing Street also welcomed the men's release.

"We are glad that the matter has been able to be resolved diplomatically," said Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman.

"The important thing now is to get the servicemen, when they are ready, out of Tehran back to their base in Iraq."

The servicemen are thought to come from two Scotland-based units - Arbroath-based 45 Commando and the Fleet Standby Rifle Troop from Faslane on the Clyde - and from the 539 Assault Squadron in Plymouth, south-west England.

The father of one of the men said he was "absolutely delighted" they had been released.

"It's the news we've been waiting for," said Graham Reid, whose 24-year-old son David was among those detained.

"There were some dark moments over the last few days, especially when we saw them on TV blindfolded, but this is brilliant.

"Hopefully we'll see him either late tonight or early tomorrow, I can't wait to just see him and give him a hug."

Days of talks

Their release follows three days of talks between British diplomats and Iranian officials.

Iran had initially said it would prosecute the men for illegally entering Iranian territory.

The men appeared on Iranian TV wearing blindfolds earlier in the week and admitted entering Iranian waters illegally.


The Shatt al-Arab waterway divides Iran and Iraq


Enlarge Image

British diplomats visited the men on Wednesday. They said they were all fit and well and in pretty good spirits. They said the men were not being kept blindfolded.

The naval launches, the arms and equipment that the British servicemen had with them have not been handed over.

Mr Straw said these would be matters "for further discussion".

The arrests came at a time of strained relations between the UK and Iran.

Iranian hardliners have staged a series of angry demonstrations outside the British embassy in Tehran in recent weeks to protest at the occupation of Iraq.

Britain has also been strongly criticised too for its role in helping draft a tough resolution on Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna last week.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle ... 835313.stm[/quote]

[goreD.]

I'm sure that they are extremely relieved that they will be de-briefed by the British instead of the Iranians.

Great to see them released.

Gore.