Iran 'to try Britons for espionage'

Timesonline Via Drudge Report ^ | March 25, 2007 | Uzi Mahnaimi, Michael Smith and David Cracknell

[RDTF]

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 “insurgents”, 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.”

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 for espionage in Iran is death. However, similar accusations of spying were made when eight British servicemen were detained in the same area in 2004. They were paraded blindfolded on television but did not appear in court and were freed after three nights in detention.

Iranian student groups called yesterday for the 15 detainees to be held until US forces released five Revolutionary Guards captured in Iraq earlier this year.

[Regulator]

Exactly! The Muslim population if quite large in G.B. If GB gets too aggresive about this (meaning, they whimper too loudly) all hell will break loose on thier own soil

There was a time when if you lived in Britain, you fought for her or you were a traitor and you were gone.

Can you imagine any of the Muslims living in London fighting for Britain against any Muslim country?

And if not, why are they allowed to remain there?

The same goes for what's left of our country.

[donmeaker]

Pretty obviously they are manufacturing a counterweight to the 300 some odd Iran government officials captured in Iraq.

Difference: kind of odd to assert that soldiers in uniform are committing espionage.

The correct response to this would be to shut down all Iranian embassy facilities world wide, and to empound all their personnel, until exchange. Further, blockade of Iran's borders and shipping would be a good first step.

That is normally done after declaration of war.

We know how important Iran holds the rights of embassy personnel.

Oh, and after that declaration of war, the crooked Iranian government can be properly destroyed, the Azerbajian and Shiite Arab portions of Iran can be given their independence, perhaps to unite with Shiite Iraq, perhaps not.

No occupation needed. A few million persian casualties would excise this tumor.

[mamelukesabre]

I would've included germany too but they only have turks and turks aren't so hateful towards the west.