BBC: Iran 'to release British sailors' ~

BBC ^ | Wednesday, 4 April 2007, 13:46 GMT 14:46 UK | BBC Staff

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Iran 'to release British sailors'

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad awarded medals to Iranian commanders

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says 15 British naval personnel captured in the Gulf will be freed.

He repeated allegations that the British sailors and marines "invaded" Iranian waters, but said they would be freed as a "gift" to Britain.

He made the announcement at a news conference, in which he also awarded medals to the commanders who captured the British personnel in the Gulf.

He said the Britons would be released immediately and taken to an airport.

"They are free after this meeting and can go back to their families," Mr Ahmadinejad said.

The British government was not even brave enough to tell their people the truth Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

"I'm asking Mr Blair to not put these 15 personnel on trial because they admitted they came to Iranian territorial water," he said, referring to taped "confessions" made by the British sailors and marines.

"I ask Mr Blair: Instead of occupying the other countries, I ask Mr Blair to think about the justice, to think about the truth and work for the British people not for himself."

Britain says the 15 were in Iraqi waters under a UN mandate when they were captured nearly two weeks ago. It says the confessions were extracted under duress.

"Unfortunately the British government was not even brave enough to tell their people the truth, that it made a mistake," Mr Ahmadinejad said.

"We have every right to put these people on trial," he asserted.

"But I want to give them as a present to the British people to say they are all free."

A spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "We welcome what the president has said about the release of our 15 personnel. We are now establishing exactly what this means in terms of the method and timing of their release."

'Causing misery'

Mr Ahmadinejad also criticised the US-led invasion of Iraq and Israel's war in Lebanon.

He used a news conference marking the Persian New Year to condemn the countries he said were behind "misery" and "destruction" in the world.

He said there did not appear to be anyone "to stand up and defend the rights of those oppressed".

He opened the news conference with references to the Islamic holy book, the Koran, then made a wide-ranging speech about the modern history of the Middle East, while attacking the West.

The invasion of Iraq was based on the false premise that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, he said, but even now "the occupation forces continue to stay there and people are still being killed".

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Did Nancy achieve this or was it the USS Nimitz sailing out of San Diego heading for the Persian Gulf....?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

USS Nimitz Deploys To Persian Gulf (Godspeed, Josh)

[RC2]

It wasn’t either. They saw the B2’s flying over.

[doug from upland]

With the overlap, three carrier groups there was probably slightly intimidating.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Got a Son in Law helping with supply of Equipment for the Army .... in Kuwait....

[Riodacat]

I suspect that the released Iranian diplomat held by "iraqi terrorists" in Iraq a few days ago was part of a bigger behind the scenes swap tit-for-tat deal.
Wait a few weeks for a few more Iranians being held in Iraq to be returned.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Related thread:

Lawrence Eagleburger on Neal Cavuto's Show

[kopite]

See, told you all they’d be free soon. The Brits rightly stayed cool as cucumbers and didn’t get aggressive and war mongering bleating about what they would do to Iran if they weren’t freed......and alls well that ends well. They are comin’ home.

Triumph for the British stiff upper lip and cool head. Iran couldn’t goad Britain into reacting like fools so they gave up and called it quits.

Love it!

[Basheva]

I don’t think Iran was intimidated at all by our three carriers.

They got what they wanted out of this incident. They made their point, won the battle, made hay without feeding the horse.

They proved that Britain will not defend its people in real time.

Like we didn’t retaliate when our Embassy was overrun. Or our marines killed in Lebanon, or in Somalia.

No defense in real time, and no retaliation later on.

Iran won.

[tobyhill]

Would you say that once they’re released the UK should bomb the hell out of Iran to make sure it doesn’t happen again?

[AIM-54]

That’s an ‘interesting’ take.

The hostages have outlived their usefulness.
Britain failed the test and in doing do, have invited future difficulties as Islamists ramp up their aggression.

[FostersExport]

At least someone has things in perspective.

That said, next time Iran pulls this I would hope that our servicemen aren’t out of range of the appropriate backup.

[doug from upland]

God bless him.

[Realism]

Iran couldn’t goad Britain into reacting like fools so they gave up and called it quits.

Spinning total humiliation into some kind of victory?

Keeping a stiff upper lip had nothing to do with it, the Brit's and the U.S. paid a very high price for this so called "gift" from the Iranians.

[Prokopton]

Interesting how people can have such different views of the same set of facts.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Have we a possible connection with this:

Report: Envoy to meet detained Iranians ~ detained in raid on terrorists at Irbil, Iraq....

[Basheva]

Well, there’s nothing wrong in letting their (Iran’s) envoy meet with them. Hope we have someone from our side present and able to understand Farsi.

That way the envoy can report how we are starving them, torturing them, taking away their prayer rugs, making them pat pigs, and otherwise keeping them from their 72 virgin reward.

[AIM-54]

that would be even worse - Brits held hostage and the US capitulates. wow.

[owhl]

“reacting like fools” LMAO

What the Iranians saw were cowards not worth the waste of their time.

[FostersExport]

You call ‘humiliation’ (not sure how it’s ‘total’) a very high price?

What would a few dead soldiers count as - the impending apocalypse?