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Iran Watch: Britain Must FIRST Admit “MISTAKE”
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki attends the opening ceremony of the Arab summit in Riyadh March 28, 2007.
AP: Iran: Britain Must Admit Navy Trespassed
Iran’s foreign minister said Wednesday that Britain must admit that its 15 sailors and marines entered Iranian waters in order to resolve a standoff over their capture by Iranian authorities.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki’s announcement came on a day of escalating tensions, highlighted by an Iranian video of the detained Britons that showed the only woman captive saying her group had “trespassed” in Iranian waters. Britain angrily denounced the video as unacceptable and froze most dealings with the mideast nation.
“First they have to admit that they have made a mistake. Admitting the mistake will facilitate a solution to the problem,” Mottaki told The Associated Press in an interview in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “But unfortunately the British have not admitted their mistake.”
And why would Britain admit to something that is not true?
This picture issued by the Britain’s Ministry of Defence illustrates documentary evidence presented by Britain that shows 15 British sailors and marines were inside Iraqi waters when they were captured by Iran.
This picture issued by the Britain’s Ministry of Defence shows the GPS location of the incident, as seen from a Royal Navy helicopter over the merchant vessel, as 15 British sailors and marines were captured by Iran. Britain on Wednesday froze official contacts with Iran in an escalating dispute over 15 detained naval personnel, as Tehran said it would soon release the only woman among the captives.
Mottaki also backed off a prediction that the female sailor, Faye Turney, could be freed Wednesday or Thursday, but said Tehran agreed to allow British officials to meet with service personnel.
His comments were the first confirmation that Iran agreed to a British request for a consular visit with the crew, though he did not specify when. Iran has not said where the 15 are being held.
“We have accepted that (the British request), there is no problem. Measures are underway (to arrange meeting.) They can meet them,” he said.
Ok, here is what the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Tony Blair should do ala Newt Gingrich on today’s Hugh Hewitt Show:
1. Tell Iran they could keep the fifteen hostages all the time they want, even though they are violating the 1949 Third Geneva Convention Article XIII regarding humiliating and degrading prisoners of war and that those responsible in the Iranian government would be charged later with War Crimes.
2. If Iran persisted in holding the prisoners that within one week Iran might discover that their oil refining capability, nuclear facilities, and one gasoline refinery might not work nor exist.
3. If Iran continued to hold the prisoners, that within a week the United Kingdom and the United States would enforce a blockade of all gasoline into Iran.
4. But, of course, if Iran simply admits they made a mistake in their GPS coordinates and expeditiously returns the fifteen prisoners, Iran might return to a mechanized society under United Nations sanctions .
Stay tuned…….
British Sailor POW Faye Turney
Previous:
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
Technorati Tags: Iran, Iraq, Britain, UnitedKingdomYahyaRahimSafaviTonyBlairManouchehrMottaki
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Iran Watch: Tony Blair Warns Iran
British Prime Minister Tony Blair looks on at a Public Service Reform conference in Westminster, London, Tuesday, March 27, 2007. Britain hopes that diplomacy will win the release of 15 sailors and marines detained by Iran but is prepared to move to a ‘different phase’ if negotiations fail, Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday.
PM warns Iran over Navy captives
Downing Street said the UK could end up releasing evidence proving the group had not ventured into Iranian waters.
Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has called for their “speedy return”.
Meanwhile, the family of the only woman detained, Faye Turney from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, has said this is a “very distressing time” for them.
The BBC has been told the group are being held at an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps base in Tehran.
Iran says they were trespassing in Iranian waters when they were seized on Friday – but the prime minister said the group were in Iraqi waters under a UN mandate.
And what does a “different phase” mean?
Coincidentally (or not), the United States Navy with the John C. Stennis has been conducting manuvers in and around the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran.
The U.S. Navy on Tuesday began its largest demonstration of force in the Persian Gulf since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by a pair of aircraft carriers and backed by warplanes flying simulated attack maneuvers off the coast of Iran.
The maneuvers bring together two strike groups of U.S. warships and more than 100 U.S. warplanes to conduct simulated air warfare in the crowded Gulf shipping lanes.
The U.S. exercises come just four days after Iran’s capture of 15 British sailors and marines who Iran said had strayed into Iranian waters near the Gulf. Britain and the U.S. Navy have insisted the British sailors were operating in Iraqi waters.
Fancy that……
And the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is in the region conducting war games with the USS John C. Stennis.
Stay tuned……
British hostages paraded in Iran on TV in 2004
Previous:
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
Technorati Tags: Iran, Iraq, Britain, UnitedKingdomYahyaRahimSafaviTonyBlair
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Michael Ramirez on Iran Taking British Hostages
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
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Technorati Tags: MichaelRamirez, Iran, Iraq, Britain, UnitedKingdom
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Iran Watch: Iran May Charge British Sailors
Update:
Iran says it is now interrogating the British sailors.
AP: Iran may charge British sailors
Iran warned that 15 British sailors and marines could face charges for allegedly entering Iranian waters and rejected British requests to meet with the servicemen detained off the coast of Iraq.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki threatened unspecified consequences for the Royal Navy crew in comments to reporters in New York on Sunday, describing the charge against them as “illegal entrance into Iranian waters.”
“In terms of legal issues, it’s under investigation,” Mottaki said.
Iraq’s foreign minister demanded that Iran release the servicemen who were captured Friday, saying they had been detained in Iraqi waters and were operating with government consent, a statement from his office said Monday.
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari discussed the issue with Mottaki on Sunday and “called for their release and for addressing their issue legally and wisely,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Iranian state television on Monday quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Mehzi Mostafavi as saying that Iran was not aiming to swap the British servicemen for five Iranians who were arrested in northern Iraq.
The Brits cannot be too happy with this turn of events. Prime Minister Tony Blair has already vehemently protested, warning Iran that its seizure was “unjustified and wrongâ€, insisting the sailors and marines were taken from Iraqi waters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki speaks during a news conference in New York March 25, 2007. Iran is considering charging 15 British sailors with illegally entering its waters and may grant Britain access to its navy personnel when Tehran’s investigation is complete, Mottaki said on Sunday.
In comments read out by a newscaster, Mostafavi did not say what Iran plans to do with the British servicemen, but he said they were being interrogated.
“Iran has enough evidence to prove that the British Forces personnel were detained in Iranian waters,” he said. He added that the British government was accountable for their actions.
The capture and detention of the British service personnel increased tensions between Iran and the West that already were high over Tehran’s nuclear program and allegations that Iran is interfering with the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
And this is not the first time that British sailors have been captured by the Iranians. In 2004 six British marines and two sailors were captured, then paraded blindfolded on Iranian television. They admitted they had entered Iranian waters illegally but were released unharmed after three days.
The area will remain a “FLASH POINT” for potential escalation until the Brits are released.
Will the British people now swing to majority support of Tony Blair’s policies in the region?
Stay tuned……
British soliders patrol the waterways close to an oil terminal near the Iraqi city of Basra in 2005. British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday called Iran’s seizure of 15 British naval personnel “unjustified and wrong” as international pressure grew on Iran over the new diplomatic crisis.
Previous:
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
Technorati Tags: Iran, Iraq, Britain, UnitedKingdomYahyaRahimSafavi
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Iran Watch: Iran to Try Brits for Spying?
Iran ‘to try Britons for espionage’
FIFTEEN British sailors and marines arrested by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards off the coast of Iraq may be charged with spying.
A website run by associates of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, reported last night that the Britons would be put before a court and indicted.
Referring to them as “insurgentsâ€, the site concluded: “If it is proven that they deliberately entered Iranian territory, they will be charged with espionage. If that is proven, they can expect a very serious penalty since according to Iranian law, espionage is one of the most serious offences.â€
The warning followed claims by Iranian officials that the British navy personnel had been taken to Tehran, the capital, to explain their “aggressive action†in entering Iranian waters. British officials insist the servicemen were in Iraqi waters when they were held.
The penalty in Iran for espionage is death.
But, what is the REAL FLAP here?
1. Is this an annoying repeat of the 2004 capture of British troops? The Brits were accused of spying, blindfolded, paraded around on Iranian television, did not appear in court and were freed after three days.
2. Retribution for United Nations Security Council nuclear sanctions approved today?
Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, the chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, left, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, right, review an honor guard, at a base of the Basij paramilitary, in Tehran, Iran, in this Sunday, Oct. 30, 2005, photo.
3. A Cold-War type trade of soldiers? Fifteen Brits for the five Iranian Quds Revolutionary Guards captured in Iraq by American forces.
4. Official Iranian terrorist policy? The tactic had been approved by Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who warned last week that Tehran would take “illegal actions†if necessary to maintain its right to develop a nuclear program.
5. Actions of Chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, General Yahya Rahim Safavi, who is pissed that some of his people have recently defected to the West and that United Nations sanctions are affecting his personal finances?
Admiral Sir Alan West, the former head of the Royal Navy, dismissed suggestions that the British boats might have been in Iranian waters. West, who was first sea lord when the previous arrests took place in June 2004, said satellite tracking systems had shown then that the Iranians were lying and the same was certain to be true now.
Stay tuned…..
Previous:
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
Technorati Tags: Iran, Iraq, Britain, UnitedKingdomYahyaRahimSafavi
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Iran Watch: British Troops Transported To Tehran
The 15 British navy personnel detained in the Gulf have been transferred to Tehran to explain their “aggressive action,” according to reports.
AFP: British sailors admit entering Iran waters: Iran military
Fifteen British sailors and marines detained off Iraq by the Iranian navy have admitted illegally entering Iranian waters, senior Iranian commander General Alireza Afshar said Saturday.
“They are currently being questioned and have admitted to violating the territorial waters of the Islamic repubic,” Afshar, the official spokesman of the army chief of staff, told the semi-official Fars news agency.
He told the Arabic language service of state television: “We have solid evidence that they were detained in our territorial waters. They themselves have confessed and admitted their mistake.”
Pajamas Media has a great round-up of the UK-Iran crisis.
In the meantime, the United Nations Security Council is set to vote harsher sanctions against Iran for their nuclear program.
Stay tuned……..
Previous:
Iran Watch: Are Seized British Troops Hostages?
Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad Cancels United Nations Appearance
Iran Watch: Iran Seizes British Sailors in Iraq Waters
Technorati Tags: Iran, Iraq, Britain, UnitedKingdom
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Iran Watch: Are Seized British Troops Hostages?
A graphic locating the waterway where Iran seized British navy sailors. The United States Friday called for the release of a group of British sailors held by Iran saying they had been carrying out “routine” inspections in Iraqi waters.
Hostage fears over troops seized by Iran
Britain’s crisis with Iran deepened last night after Tehran justified seizing 15 British servicemen by claiming that they had strayed into Iranian territorial waters “illegallyâ€.
The announcement appeared to rule out any hope that the incident was a simple mistake that could be quickly rectified.
Instead, there were growing fears that the 15 British sailors and Royal Marines were victims of a deliberate ambush on the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway by Iranian Revolutionary Guards, perhaps seeking to use the captives as hostages in the increasingly tense stand-off between the West and Iran over its nuclear programme.
Iran blamed Britain for the border incident. “British chargé d’affaires Kate Smith was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to receive a firm protest from Iran against the illegal entry of British sailors into Iranian territorial waters,†said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran.
“This makes a number of times that British sailors have illegally entered Iranian territorial waters at Arvand Roud. They were arrested by border guards for investigation and questioning,†the statement added.
Iran may be biting off more than it can chew.
The United States and Israel are looking for any excuse to militarily neuter Iran’s nuclear program.
This may be it.
President Ahmadinejad canceled his appearance before the United Nations Security Council tomorrow. He claims it was because of the United States not issuing timely visas. This was denied by the United States State Department.
So, is Iran holding these Brits as a bargaining chip over their nuclear program and United Nations sanctions?
Iran is playing with fire – nuclear fire.
Iraqi coast guards patrol the waters off the Iranian Bou Chahr port in southern Iraq.
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Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad Cancels United Nations Appearance
Iran Watch: Iran Seizes British Sailors in Iraq Waters
Technorati Tags: Iran, Iraq, Britain, UnitedKingdom
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Global War on Terror Watch: British Aide in Afghanistan Accused of Spying for Iran
British soldiers in Afghanistan. A military aide to the British commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan has been accused of passing secrets to Iran, press reports said.
AFP: British aide in Afghanistan accused of spying for Iran
A close aide to the British commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan has been accused of passing secrets about activities there to Iran, press reports said.
Thursday’s reports come as British-led forces struggle against fiercer than expected Taliban insurgents in the south of the country, invaded by US-led forces following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Corporal Daniel James, an interpreter to Lieutenant General David Richards, the head of NATO’s more than 30,000-strong force in Afghanistan, has been charged under the Official Secrets Act with “prejudicing the safety of the state.”
Specifically he is accused of passing information “calculated to be directly or indirectly useful to the enemy” by communicating with a “foreign power”, believed to be Iran, said The Daily Telegraph and other newspapers.
James, 44, appeared at London’s City of Westminster magistrates’ court Wednesday but details of the case were not revealed as the judge ordered reporters out of court because of a “possible prejudice to national security”.
Just a reminder that the Global War on Terror is as broad and SERIOUS as the Cold War with the Soviet Union.
How many more Iranian spies will be discovered?
And people wondered and worried about interrogation tactics at Guantanamo?
Please…….
Lieutenant General David Richards, the British commander of NATO in Afghanistan , gestures as he addresses a press conference in Kabul, October 2006. A close aide to Richards has been accused of passing secrets about activities there to Iran.
The Telegraph reported that James, who lived in the southern English resort town of Brighton, was of Iranian descent and spoke fluent Pashtun, the main language in Afghanistan.
The specific charge against him alleges that on November 2, for a purpose prejudicial to the safety of the state, he “communicated to another person information calculated to be directly or indirectly useful to the enemy”.
James, who appeared in court dressed smartly in a quilted jacket and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth, was remanded in custody until December 27. There was no application for bail.
The Times: British soldier ‘gave Army secrets to Iran’
Corporal James’s appearance before Senior District Judge Timothy Workman was surrounded by secrecy. The case was not on the court list and police refused to give the defendant’s name before the hearings.
One hearing was held in camera to hear argument about why large parts of the case should also be heard in secret. The judge decided that national security was involved, and only a few minutes of a session lasting nearly two hours were open to press and public.
Corporal James said nothing during the hearing other than “Yes, sirâ€, when confirming his name and date of birth and that he understood he would be remanded. After the closed hearing, the judge said: “I have been given certain information which leads me to the conclusion that it will be necessary to hear certain facts in camera as there is a possible prejudice to national security.†The prosecution, he said, was asking for a remand to obtain the Attorney-General’s consent for prosecution.
Corporal James stood at ease as the judge told him he would be remanded in custody until December 27. Four Special Branch officers were in court and the defendant sat in the dock with two guards. Martyn Fischer, Corporal James’s lawyer, would not comment.
Stay tuned…….
Technorati Tags: DavidRichards, DanielJames, Afghanistan, Iran
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Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad – “Britain, Israel and United States Will Vanish Like the Pharaohs”
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has predicted that Britian, Israel and the United States would eventually disappear from the world like the Egyptian pharaonic kings.
AFP: Ahmadinejad: Britain, Israel, US to ‘vanish like the pharaohs’
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has predicted that Britian, Israel and the United States would eventually disappear from the world like the Egyptian pharaonic kings.
“The oppressive powers will disappear while the Iranian people will stay. Any power that is close to God will survive while the powers who are far from God will disappear like the pharaohs,” he said Wednesday, according to Iranian news agencies.
“Today, it is the United States, Britain and the Zionist regime which are doomed to disappear as they have moved far away from the teachings of God,” he said in a speech in the western town of Javanroud.
“It is a divine promise.”
Ahmadinejad’s comments were the latest salvo by the deeply religious president against the West and Israel. He has repeatedly predicted that Israel is doomed to disappear.
And Ahmadinejad is boasting that Iran has become a nuclear power:
Ynet: Ahmadineajd: Iran now nuclear power
Iranian president: Our scienists have reached zenith, accessed nuclear fuel cycle
Iran is now a “nuclear power,” its President, Mahmoud Ahamdinejad, delcared Wednesday, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.
During a speech delivered in the Western Iranian province of Javanroud, Ahmadinejad said: ” The Islamic Republic of Iran is now a nuclear power, thanks to the hard work of the Iranian people and authorities.”
The announcement of Iran as a “nuclear power” is bound to significantly escalate tensions between the West and Iran, and marks a dramatic stage in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear campaign.
In a clear rejection of all diplomatic attempts to prevent Iran from going nuclear, Ahmadinejad added in his speech that “the Iranian nation will continue in its nuclear path powerfully and will celebrate a nuclear victory soon.”
Meanwhile…..
British Prime Minister has issue Iran and surrounding countries a WARNING.
And the United States is considering deploying additonal forces in the Gulf Region.
Flap AGAIN draws the reader’s attention to Professor Herman’s piece in Commentary: Getting Serious About Iran: A Military Option
Read it ALL.
TICK TOCK TICK TOCK
NOTHING is happening in the United Nations.
The “POINT OF NO RETURN” is FAST approaching.
Stay tuned…….
Previous:
Iran Nuclear Watch: British Prime Minister Tony Blair Issues Iran Warning
Iran Nuclear Watch: United States Considering Show Of Force Against Iran
Iran Nuclear Watch: A Military Option Redux
John Hinderaker: Mr. President, If I May Be So Bold…
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Expands Uranium Enrichment – AGAIN
The Natanz uranium enrichment complex in Natanz is pictured in this January 2, 2006 satellite image.
Technorati Tags: Iran, Ahmadinejad
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Iran Nuclear Watch: British Prime Minister Tony Blair Issues Iran Warning
Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair (L) and Iraq ‘s Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki speak at a news conference in the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad December 17, 2006. Blair pledged his full support for Iraq’s government during a visit to Baghdad on Sunday and vowed not to let democracy be destroyed by ‘those who wish to live in hatred’.
Reuters: Blair to urge Middle East states to rein in Iran
British Prime Minister Tony Blair will call on Wednesday for Middle East states to rein in what he calls the threat from Iran and to help advance peacemaking between Israelis and Palestinians.
Speaking in the United Arab Emirates, he will underline what has been the theme of his Middle East tour: moderate leaders must be empowered against extremists.
“We must recognize the strategic threat the government of Iran poses, not its people, not possibly all of its ruling elements, but those presently in charge of its policy,” he will say, according to extracts of his speech released by his office.
Iran seeks “to pin us back in Lebanon, in Iraq and in Palestine,” he will tell business leaders in Dubai.
“Our response should be to expose what they are doing, build the alliances to prevent it and pin them back across the whole of the region.”
He says to do this “we need the open and clear backing of the countries in this region that know better than me what is happening and why.”
In the meantime, the United States is considering a show of military force against Iran.
And Russia is still STALLING United Nations sanctions.
TICK TOCK TICK TOCK
Tony Blair is preparing the Middle East for the eventuality of the “POINT OF NO RETURN.”
Americans know the Brits will be with the United States.
The other countries of the Middle East can either help the United States and Iran achieve a negotiated settlement – which means a NO NUKE IRAN or get the hell out of the way of the United States military, NATO and the Israeli Defense Forces.
Stay tuned…….
The USS Enterprise and USS Dwight David Eisenhower
Previous:Iran Nuclear Watch: United States Considering Show Of Force Against Iran
Iran Nuclear Watch: A Military Option Redux
John Hinderaker: Mr. President, If I May Be So Bold…
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Expands Uranium Enrichment – AGAIN
The Natanz uranium enrichment complex in Natanz is pictured in this January 2, 2006 satellite image.
Technorati Tags: Iran, Ahmadinejad