Saturday, April 07, 2007
Iranian ambassador calls press conference 'theatrical propaganda'
U.K., Iran, Security
(BBC) - Iran's ambassador to London has said Britain should respond "in a positive way" to the release of the 15 Royal Navy personnel held for 13 days. Rasoul Movahedian told the Financial Times Iran wanted help to release five Iranians held in Iraq and to ease fears globally about its nuclear programme. He said: "If they [the British] want to be helpful and use their influence we will welcome that. Iran has said a press conference where the crew described being bound and held alone was "theatrical propaganda" that did not justify their "mistake".
Mr Movahedian told the FT: "We played our part and we showed our good will... now it is up to the British government to proceed in a positive way," he said. He denied that the release of the crew was linked to the case of the Iranians being detained in Iraq or any other case. But he added: "If they [the British] want to be helpful and use their influence we will welcome that. "We will welcome in general any steps that could defuse tensions in the region."
But the BBC's Jill McGivering told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The key in all of this is how the US feels. "It is all very well talking about a plea for the UK to use its influence on the US but so far there are no signs from Washington at all that they give Iran any kind of credit for the way they have handled this." On Friday, at the Royal Marines Barracks at Chivenor, Devon, the crew said they were told by their captors that if they did not admit they were in Iranian waters when captured they faced seven years in prison.
The officer in charge, Lieutenant Felix Carman, 26, of Swansea, said the sailors and marines were 1.7 nautical miles from Iranian waters when they were captured. Royal Marine Captain Chris Air, 25, from Altrincham, Cheshire, said the crew had made it clear they were on a "routine operation allowed under a UN mandate" but that the Iranians had a "planned intent."
Lt Carman, said they were taken to a prison in Tehran where they were stripped and dressed in pyjamas. They were kept in stone cells, sleeping on blankets and held in isolation until the last few nights and frequently interrogated. The only woman in the group, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, believed for at least four days that she was the only one still being held. Royal Marine Joe Tindell told how they feared for their lives in prison.
"We had a blindfold and plastic cuffs, hands behind our backs, heads against the wall. Basically there were weapons cocking. Someone, I'm not sure who, someone said, I quote, 'lads, lads I think we're going to get executed'. After that comment someone was sick and as far as I was concerned he had just had his throat cut."
The BBC's Frances Harrison, in Tehran, said Iran feels the press conference revelations were the result of sailors "being briefed" by the UK government who "dictated to them [the sailors]". She pointed out that Iran said it was "standard procedure" for military personnel who intruded into Iran to be held in isolation, and said they compared their captivity to the way people are held at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The navy is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident and the wider rules of engagement for UK forces operating in the area.
Mr Movahedian told the FT: "We played our part and we showed our good will... now it is up to the British government to proceed in a positive way," he said. He denied that the release of the crew was linked to the case of the Iranians being detained in Iraq or any other case. But he added: "If they [the British] want to be helpful and use their influence we will welcome that. "We will welcome in general any steps that could defuse tensions in the region."
But the BBC's Jill McGivering told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The key in all of this is how the US feels. "It is all very well talking about a plea for the UK to use its influence on the US but so far there are no signs from Washington at all that they give Iran any kind of credit for the way they have handled this." On Friday, at the Royal Marines Barracks at Chivenor, Devon, the crew said they were told by their captors that if they did not admit they were in Iranian waters when captured they faced seven years in prison.
The officer in charge, Lieutenant Felix Carman, 26, of Swansea, said the sailors and marines were 1.7 nautical miles from Iranian waters when they were captured. Royal Marine Captain Chris Air, 25, from Altrincham, Cheshire, said the crew had made it clear they were on a "routine operation allowed under a UN mandate" but that the Iranians had a "planned intent."
Lt Carman, said they were taken to a prison in Tehran where they were stripped and dressed in pyjamas. They were kept in stone cells, sleeping on blankets and held in isolation until the last few nights and frequently interrogated. The only woman in the group, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, believed for at least four days that she was the only one still being held. Royal Marine Joe Tindell told how they feared for their lives in prison.
"We had a blindfold and plastic cuffs, hands behind our backs, heads against the wall. Basically there were weapons cocking. Someone, I'm not sure who, someone said, I quote, 'lads, lads I think we're going to get executed'. After that comment someone was sick and as far as I was concerned he had just had his throat cut."
The BBC's Frances Harrison, in Tehran, said Iran feels the press conference revelations were the result of sailors "being briefed" by the UK government who "dictated to them [the sailors]". She pointed out that Iran said it was "standard procedure" for military personnel who intruded into Iran to be held in isolation, and said they compared their captivity to the way people are held at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The navy is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident and the wider rules of engagement for UK forces operating in the area.
Labels: Chris Air, Faye Turney, Felix Carman, Iran, Iranian detainees, Joe Tindell, Rasoul Movahedian, Royal Marines Barracks Chivenor, Royal Navy, U.S.
