Posted on 03/28/2007 3:42:33 AM PDT by maquiladora
The Ministry of Defence has presented evidence which shows that the fifteen personnel detained by Iranian authorities on Friday 23 March 2007 were operating in Iraqi waters when they were seized.
The briefing, at defence headquarters in London, was given by Vice Admiral Charles Style, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments). Vice Admiral Style, who is responsible for providing strategic advice to operational commanders, explained in detail where the Royal Navy personnel were located when they were seized:
"The aim of this brief is to provide a factual account of the incident during which fifteen Royal Naval personnel were seized by the Iranians last Friday. By way of background, HMS CORNWALL was in charge of the coalition force, which - alongside the Iraqi Navy - is operating in the Northern Persian Gulf.
"This force maintains the sovereignty and integrity of Iraqi territorial waters under UN Security Council Resolution 1723, and with the approval of the Iraqi Government. The ship – and others in the coalition - maintain a presence patrolling there. They are also charged with protection of the Iraqi offshore oil infrastructure – economically very important - and the security of merchant vessels.
"On 23 March a boarding team consisting of seven Royal Marines and eight sailors - who were embarked in two of HMS CORNWALL's boats - conducted a routine boarding of an Indian flagged Merchant Vessel which was cooperative throughout. They investigated this vessel after witnessing her unloading cars into two barges secured alongside. Since early March the force has conducted 66 routine boardings. So the one that I'm talking about was entirely routine business, and conducted in a particular area where four other boardings have been completed recently.
"As shown on the chart, the merchant vessel was 7.5 nautical miles south east of the Al Faw Peninsula and clearly in Iraqi territorial waters. Her master has confirmed that his vessel was anchored within Iraqi waters at the time of the arrest. The position was 29 degrees 50.36 minutes North 048 degrees 43.08 minutes East. This places her 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi territorial waters. This fact has been confirmed by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.
"The Iranian government has provided us with two different positions for the incident. The first we received on Saturday and the second on Monday. As this map shows, the first of these points still lies within Iraqi territorial waters. We pointed this out to them on Sunday in diplomatic contacts.
"After we did this, they then provided a second set of coordinates that places the incident in Iranian waters over two nautical miles from the position given by HMS CORNWALL and confirmed by the merchant vessel. The two Iranian positions are just under a nautical mile apart – 1800 yards or so. It is hard to understand a reason for this change of coordinates. We unambiguously contest both the positions provided by the Iranians.
"I should just explain at this point that the boats remained connected at this point. One of the seaboats was connected via data link, which communicated its position continually to the ship where it was displayed, superimposed on an electronic chart, on a purpose built console. During the boarding this console was constantly monitored and indicated, throughout, that the boats had remained well within Iraqi territorial waters.
"Our boarding started at 0739 local time and was completed at 0910 with the merchant vessel having been cleared to continue with her business. Communications were lost with the boarding team as the boarding was finishing … at 0910. HMS CORNWALL's Lynx helicopter, which had been covering the initial stages of the boarding, immediately returned to the scene to locate the boarding team.
"The helicopter reported that the two seaboats were being escorted by Iranian Islamic Republican Guard Navy vessels towards the Shatt 'Al Arab Waterway and were now inside Iranian territorial waters. Debriefing of the helicopter crew and a conversation with the master of the merchant ship both indicate that the boarding team were ambushed while disembarking from the merchant vessel. Both boats were equipped with a GPS chart plotter.
"On Sunday morning, 25 March, HMS CORNWALL's Lynx conducted an overflight of the merchant vessel, which was still at anchor, and once again confirmed her location on Global Positioning System equipment. Her Master confirmed that his vessel had remained at anchor since Friday, and was in Iraqi territorial waters.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, my primary message is clear. HMS CORNWALL with her boarding party was going about her legal business – in Iraqi Territorial waters, under a United Nations Security Council Resolution, with the explicit approval of the Iraqi government.
"The action by Iranian forces in arresting and detaining our people is unjustified and wrong. As such it is a matter of deep concern to us and the families of the people who have been taken. We continue not only to call for their safe, but for their safe and speedy, return, and we continue to seek immediate consular access to them as a prelude to their release."
Picture shows GPS location of the incident, as seen from a Royal Navy helicopter over the merchant vessel [Picture: MOD]
<
I just hope he doesn't feel the need to ask the UN for permission.
The 48 Senators that voted for Cochran's Anendment to strike the surrender clause were NOT cowards. The dims have shown themselves to be COWARDS and TRAITORS. hagel is a coward and traitor also!
LLS
That sort of contradicts the British ROE as I understand them. The ship's commander had to call back to England for permission and it wasn't granted. Furthermore, the sailors and marines in the rubber boats were unarmed.
Oh but they're just trying to be "fair". /s
Thank God our media didn't have the same standard during WWII. Goebbels would have played them like a fiddle.
Goodness! You certainly have to be verbally on your toes talking to that lot, don't you.
Time for Blair now to give a deadline to Mr Ahmmadinthehead.
Hand over hostages or else.
Tell it to the Iranians. They heard the results of the vote loud and clear.
You have to admit that the British parliamentary debates are so much more entertaining than those in our congress.
Sounds surrenderish to me. Sad.
LLS
Except the last.
Iran committed a blatant act of war. They should be punished.
As long as President Bush sits in the Whitehouse; I do not have to tell the iranians anything... they know.
LLS
Keep watching. The Foreign Sec will be making a statement on Iran after these question's have ended.
The Iranian Navy Countered with their own GPS Device
I am certain this incident is being debated within terrorist and insurgent groups. Send small gunboats flying Iranian flags out to kidnap coalition forces WITHOUT THE RISK OF ANY ARMED RESISTANCE!
This is an incredible statement by Blair. So..is the Cornwall armed only with spitball shooters ???? Or was it too far away ??? I just don't get this reaction...he just assumes that his boys would have gotten their asses kicked.
And to think that our own US Senators basically gave the green light to the Iranians while the Iranians were holding kidnapped British hostages. The Iranians might have released those hostages by now if the US Senate had chosen honor instead of dishonor.
We might be seeing a Persian expansion here the likes of which the world has not seen in over 2,500 years. Great job Roman Senate !
Whether he likes it or not Iraq will be Bush's legacy. The only way to save it is to knock the hell out of Iran before he leaves office and in the process destroy irans nuc ambitions in the process. I think the flag is already up. Now it's just a matter of time, ticking down till his retirement.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.