[silverleaf]

Looks like the gloves are coming off. No "diplomatic immunity" for Iranian military operation/espionage plotting facilities.

[Schnucki]

I realize that we didn't do anything when Iran raided our embassy long ago, but isn't this considered an act of war?

[lowbridge]

bump

[mtbopfuyn]

The Bush administration accuses Iran

The BBC was mostly fair and mostly balanced but they just couldn't pass up a jab at Bush.

[dforest]

Oh My. Do they mean the US troops entered the counsulate and removed 5 Iranian terrorists and their terror planning documents?

[Uncle Ike]

Where're the euphamisms??

"Coalition Forces"

"Iraq Security 'backed' by ...."

We did it, and we're taking the credit.....

Interesting change in wording........

[TADSLOS]

About damn time.

[syriacus]

Thanks for posting this interesting news.

[ErnBatavia]

I wonder why there's not a peep (that I'm finding anyway) on the news channels...

[reagan_fanatic]

Blindfold them and hold them hostage for 444 days.

[Red Badger]

RUH-ROH!......

[tobyhill]

Get information, execute them and then tie their bodies on a missile and fire it into Tehran.

[SMARTY]

This was decisive and dramatic. I expect that there will be more of the same.

I am sure that Maliki was 'persuaded' that just this kind of decisive and effective action is what has been missing in US and Coalition efforts and is exactly what is urgently needed now.

I don't know if money changed hands or what kind of an 'understanding' was reached with him but it was not a moment too soon and I hope that we can expect results. I hope that for EVERYONE concerned.

[Little Ray]

Whoops. No two ways about it, that was an act of war.
Iran, here we come!

Wish we'd lead with some nukes, though.

[jwparkerjr]

re: US soldiers warned the occupants in three different languages that they should surrender or be killed

Well, they've ALMOST got it! As soon as they learn to do away with the "warned" part the enemy will get the message very quickly!

Seriously, what a great thing to hear this morning!

God bless our forces who are over there risking life and limb to keep us the world's greatest force for good.

[peteram]

BBC Diplomatic Correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the raid could signal a ratcheting-up of pressure on the Iranians, in line with the rhetorical thrust of his speech.

Um, hey Johnny - it's only rhetoric when the person doesn't act upon his words. GWB did.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

No matter what, it is still a serious, not to be taken lightly, matter to raid an embassy...so I suspect the Adminstration had the goods on them, the backing of the Iraqi government, and the guts to take the heat this will generate.

[yldstrk]

Iran is fighting the US and Iran is going down.

[nuconvert]

pong

[Valin]

Iraqi Officials: 6 Iranian Workers Held
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2007/01/11/ap/international/d8mj3an80.txt

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi officials said Thursday that multinational forces detained as many as six Iranians in an overnight raid on Tehran's diplomatic mission in the northern city of Irbil, just hours after President Bush gave details about his new military plan for Iraq.

The forces stormed the Iranian mission at about 3 a.m., detaining the five staffers and confiscating computers and documents, two senior local Kurdish officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. Irbil is a city in the Kurdish-controlled north, 220 miles from Baghdad.

(snip)

_________________________________________

Iran summons Swiss, Iraqi diplomats after US raid
(AP)

11 January 2007

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2007/January/middleeast_January99.xml&section=middleeast

TEHERAN, Iran - Iran’s foreign ministry on Thursday summoned the Iraqi and Swiss envoys to Teheran over the detention of five Iranian staffers at a diplomatic mission in northern Iraq, state-run television reported.


The broadcast said the ministry had summoned the ambassadors and “demanded an explanation” about the incident. Switzerland represents American interests in Iran, where there is no US embassy.

The summons followed an early morning raid in Iraq, where multinational forces stormed the building of an Iranian consulate the Kurdish-controlled northern city of Irbil, 350 kilometers (220 miles) from Baghdad.

The troops detained the five staffers and confiscated computers and documents, according to local Kurdish officials in Irbil.

The US military issued a statement saying it had taken six people into custody in the region but did not mention a raid on the Iranian consulate. It declined further comment on the raid.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told state-run radio that the raid was “against a diplomatic mission” since the “presence of Iranian staffers in Irbil was legal.”

Hosseini claimed the action by the US-led coalition reflected “continuation of pressure” on Iran, aiming to “create tension” between Iraq and its neighbours.

Washington accuses Teheran of helping to incite the violence in Iraq by supporting the Shiite militias. Iran denies the allegations.

Last month, US troops detained elsewhere in Iraq at least two Iranians and released two others who had diplomatic immunity.