Brits in the Gulf: Playing with Fire
The seizure of 15 British naval troops in the Persian Gulf by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy has Washington hawks all aflutter. Anything these days could be a pretext to launch their much sought after attack on Iran. The Ahmadinejad government may also be eager to bolster its own internal political position by keeping tensions ratcheted up with the U.S. and Britain.
But let’s look at this incident as many Iranians probably view it.
First of all, though the British steadfastly maintain they were in Iraqi waters at the time, the fact is that sovereignty over the narrow straights nearby where the British were operating has been disputed for centuries. The latest chapter began when Saddam Hussein ripped up a treaty he had signed under duress with the Shah in 1975. According to international legal experts, the issue has still not been settled and the Iranians have frequently acted to maintain their claims.
In June 2004, six British marines and two sailors were similarly seized by Iran They were presented blindfolded on Iranian television and admitted entering Iranian waters illegally, then released unharmed after three days.
Secondly, it’s difficult to blame the Iranians for being suspicious of the British naval presence. Reportedly, for months now George W. Bush has authorized clandestine American military missions into Iran. Those actions range from preparing targeted strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, to carrying out joint operations with opposition groups in Iran—the kind of operations that, if the shoe were on the other foot, George W. Bush would brand as “cowardly acts of terrorism.”
Also, as I pointed out in an earlier post, during the end of the Iran –Iraq war, the U.S. carried out many secret raids against Iranian forces. Any wonder that today the Iranians are not a trifle sensitive about British warships, helicopters and marines operating just a few miles off their coast.
The Brits are steadfast allies of the Americans in Iraq. Would it not be natural to suspect that elite British troops—from the SAS, for instance–are engaged with the Americans in those current clandestine missions?
The Royal Navy may be helping Iraq prevent smuggling along its coast, but by cruising around in those disputed waters, the British warships and marines are also asking for trouble.
Barry M. Lando writes barrylando.com, a blog about Iraq, the Middle East and his new book, Web of Deceit.
Here’s an irony to look for: The Iranians capture some of those American clandestine troops fomenting terror in Iran, and then put them on trial, openly and transparently.
And maybe a little torture - after all, Georgie threw away the rules on torture, didn’t he? Can’t really expect anyone to respect American soldiers in that regard, can he?
Poor little psychotic Georgie will foam at the mouth as he pushes the button on Iran.
Britain is very far from the Persian Gulf. Under the present circumstances in which the U.S and Britain are inseparable buddies in war with Iraq, and the White House and Congress have not taken the military action against Iran off the table, it becomes more palpable what these royal navy guys were up to. It these sailors confess to having violated the Iranian sovereignty by knowingly entering the Iranian waters, they should then be tired as wartime spies and dealt with accordingly—unless they can prove that they came there only to fish.
The friggin brits never give up. Its easy for them to meddle while sitting on american laps. It seems this craving for Empire hasnt fully died down yet. The Iranians should throw them in their version of Abu Ghraib.
What??? Other than some letter written by the female being held under unknown circumstances there is no proof that the sailors/marines were in Iranian waters. There seems to be a lot of blissful ignorance going on here and not so much clear reasoned thought.
‘The Iranians should throw them in their version of Abu Ghraib.’
Great idea ’cause that would fix everything and then Iran, America and Britain could all meet up and drink tea together and talk about the old times.
Its unreasoned thought like this that makes liberalism seem like such a joke