Iran,  Iraq,  Iraq War,  United Kingdom

Iran Watch: British Sailors May Be Tried By Iran

AP: Iranian official: Sailors may be tried

Iran’s ambassador to Russia renewed a threat Iranian officials made earlier this week, saying 15 British sailors held by Iran could be tried for violating international law, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported Saturday.

Gholam-Reza Ansari told Russian television Vesti-24 on Friday that Iran had launched a legal investigation of the British sailors. “They will be tried if there is enough evidence of guilt,” Ansari was quoted by IRNA as saying.

Britain’s Foreign Office said it was checking the claim that the sailors were facing trial, but noted that the ambassador’s comments didn’t alter their view of what was needed to resolve the standoff.

“This doesn’t change our position, we have made it perfectly clear that our personnel were in Iraqi waters and we continue to request immediate consular access to them and their immediate release,” said a spokeswoman for Britain’s Foreign Office, speaking on customary condition of anonymity in line with government rules.

Flap’s best intuition tells him that Britain and the United States are planning a military operation to damage Iran with concomitant back channel negotiations to avoid any loss of life.  And Britain must make sure any response does not provoke riots in the UK’s Muslim communities.

But……

It is awfully quiet out there.

And where is big mouth Iran President Ahmadinejad?

iranmarch312007aweb

An image taken from Iranian television Friday March 30, 2007 showing three British service personnel, at left a serviceman whose name was given in Farsi as Nathan Thomas Summers, Faye Turney, 26, the only woman amongst the British navy personnel, centre, and a man believed to be Adam Sperry, some of the British personnel being held captive by Iran. A newscaster earlier on Al-Alam television said the taped confession would show a British marine explaining how he and his colleagues entered Iranian waters ‘in an illegal way.’

On the other hand, it may be that Britain is not capable militarily or lacks the will to get their sailors back.

Stay tuned…….

iranmarch292007aweb

Previous:

Iran Watch: Iran Releases Video and Letter of Captured British Hostages

Iran Watch: Britain Seeks Iran Condemnation from the United Nations

Iran Watch: Britain Must FIRST Admit “MISTAKE”

Iran Watch: Iran Parades Brit Hostages on TV

Iran Watch: Tony Blair Warns Iran

Iran Watch: Captured Brits – Show Trial or Bluff?

Iran Watch: Iran May Charge British Sailors

Iran Watch: Iran to Try Brits for Spying?

Iran Watch: British Troops Transported To Tehran

Iran Watch: Are Seized British Troops Hostages?

Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad Cancels United Nations Appearance

Iran Watch: Iran Seizes British Sailors in Iraq Waters

iranmarch282007bweb


Technorati Tags: , , , , , ,

2 Comments