[Eurotwit]

Sky News UPDATE:

UK Sailors And Marines Seized By Iran
Updated: 12:25, Friday March 23, 2007

Fifteen British sailors and Marines are being held by Iranian forces.

They were taking part in a routine operation boarding merchant ships in Iraqi territorial waters when they were seized by Iranian naval vessels.

The sailors and Marines had completed a successful inspection of one ship when the group and their two boats were surrounded.

They were then escorted by Iranian vessels into its territorial waters.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We are urgently pursuing this matter with the Iranian authorities at the highest level.

"And on the instructions of the Foreign Secretary, the Iranian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office.

"The British Government is demanding the immediate and safe return of our people and equipment."

UK forces are allowed to board merchant ships in the area under international law.

More follows...

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1257281,00.html

[From One - Many]

In other new, the iranian president, imadinnerjacket, plans to fly into NY today.

Is this report correct?

[cake_crumb]

Iran used to do that with Iraq all the time. As an excuse for these actions. Iran claims those Iraqi territorial waters. Most likely, this will wind down and the sailors will be released. The incident will be billed as a "mistake", where Iranian forced thought the British ships were in Iranian territorial waters.

IF this scenario is what takes place, the situation will be ended quickly and quietly, with all personnel AND equipment returned safe and sound.

The only other option Iran has is to have missiles lobbed on Tehran with a likelyhood of supportive carpet bombing of strategic areas. They WILL NOT allow that, because the student protesters will take advantage of that to turn into real rebellion. The government would be facing a two pronged attack: from the inside by Iranian citizens, and from the outside by British subs. The government might be toppled.

No, they won't allow that to happen. This is a propaganda stunt, nothing more.

I hope.

[TechnicalEcstacy]

I think I have the answer to this. The Iranians have been trying to get shippments of munitions and such to Iraq. The crackdown has made it harder for them and were desperate. So they devised a plan to seize the very men patroling those waters to get a very important shipment through. It was a calculated risk. It may have worked. I doubt anything serious will come of this. They will have gotten away with it.