15 British Personnel seized by Iranian Navy

[borisimo]

yeah like i said, nothing against you at all, just brings back bad memories

I'm not an idealist, but a realist and understand that politics is not thier to serve moral inclinations.

now you're talking

[dylanredefined]

Much as I'd like to see special forces bring everyone home in a blaze of glory outside of playstation games and rambo 5 not going to happen.
We are not at war with iran good thing theres lots of them and they will
fight .dipolmacy is the answer supposedly 1/3 of exports go to eu countries upsetting that will be a problem for iran .Guess we wont be running round the alshatt in ribs anymore though.

[Hallsy]

I hope the lads and lass get home safely.

Nathan Summers was in basic with me, did'nt know him that well but i hope this is resolved quickly.

[jamie534]

I can't really see diplomacy working with the Iranians, not a good sign

[Frank S.]

There are Iranians and then there's the Revolutionary Guard. Here's a theory I tend to buy, as to why this happened:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... inionsbox1

Extract: "The Revolutionary Guard was targeted in the U.N. sanctions enacted last weekend against Iran's nuclear program -- which, as it happens, is run by the Revolutionary Guard. The elite military group may have wanted to retaliate by imposing its own brute sanctions against Britain, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

European officials note that the provocative move comes as speculation grows about new discussions between the United States and Iran -- a dialogue the Revolutionary Guard may oppose. Representatives of the two nations met in Baghdad this month as part of a regional conference on Iraqi security, and it was expected that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would meet her Iranian counterpart at a follow-up meeting in Istanbul in April. That meeting may be in jeopardy if the British sailors and marines aren't returned soon.

The Revolutionary Guard may also have hoped to sabotage diplomatic negotiations over the nuclear issue. U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said several weeks ago that the United States was getting "pinged all over the world" by Iranian intermediaries who wanted a resumption of talks. Iran's chief negotiator, Ali Larijani, hinted at such a message in his recent contacts with the European Union's top diplomat, Javier Solana. But the prospect of nuclear talks may have been blown out of the water, as it were, until the British issue is resolved."

So if we flip the issue, this problem might present an opportunity to drive wedges between the Revolutionary Guard and the Iranian government (to the exclusion of Ahmadinejad).
But how? And time is of the issue too: how long would such diplomatic efforts take when 15 UK service personnel are held?
And who would drive these efforts? The UK's Becket? And what support would they receive from the US? Diplomacy, particularly in the region is not the US' forte, the way I see it.

It's grim.

[Frank S.]

Well that's interesting:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/04/ ... index.html

Kidnapped Iranian diplomat released in Iraq
POSTED: 10:59 a.m. EDT, April 3, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A top Iranian diplomat seized by gunmen in Baghdad two months ago was released Tuesday, Iraq's Deputy Foreign Minister Labid Abawi told CNN.

Jalal Sharafi, deputy secretary of the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, arrived in Tehran a few hours after his release, according to Iran's semi-official FARS news agency.

Abawi said he received a diplomatic note from the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, confirming Sharafi had been released. He had no other details on his condition or who was responsible for his kidnapping.

Sharafi was abducted February 4 in front of a branch of the Iranian state-owned Bank Melli in central Baghdad's Karrada district.

The U.S. military did not have any role in finding or releasing Sharafi, but would have provided assistance if it had been requested, military spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver told CNN.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini has charged that those responsible for the kidnapping "acted under U.S. supervision."

He also said he held the United States responsible for the release of the diplomat, Iranian state-run media said.

According to Iran's Students News Agency, the kidnappers were wearing uniforms similar to those of Iraqi security forces.

Reports of Sharafi's release came as Iran and Britain tried to negotiate the release of 15 British sailors and Marines held for more than a week by Iran, which has accused the Britons of trespassing in Iranian waters. Britain and Iraq maintain the troops were well inside Iraqi waters.

[Chris_Manchester]

I think what they've done is disgraceful and what the papers are saying is true. its a war of humiliation not terror at the moment. There making a mockery of Britain and are servicemen, the goverment needs to make a stand and soon!

[GreyWing]

it looks like they are letting them go,

Give em 15 minutes for the plane to take off and lets move our bombers in. Time to get our apology and our boats back.

HMG should make it clear that next time they try it, we're opening fire, and everyone's going to the bottom. Seems everyone on the news is now turning on Blair for rules of engagement, Conservatives urging full enquiry into how the got caught.

[borisimo]

Well they have a point you'd think they'd have had better force protection, resources and financial support since the last incident....oh wait... this is the blair/labour government we have in.

[GreyWing]

It seems over the next few days there is going to be somebody resigning or carrying the can for this one, Blair needs a fall guy for this one.