Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Iraq incapable of protecting Shatt al-Arab
(Voices of Iraq) - Iraq has become incapable of protecting the Shatt al-Arab, despite having had the biggest naval force in the Arab Gulf, the commander of the Iraqi river protection force said on Monday, noting that smugglers, who are active off the Iraqi coast, have more weapons that the Iraqis. “The river protection force has only some boats with limited speed, compared to the armored and high speed boats that smugglers have,” Brigadier Abdul Hakim Jasem told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
“The smugglers’ boats have more advanced weapons than we have,” he added. Jasem’s statement came in response to comments made by some Iraqi parliamentarians who warned against the increase in the smuggling of crude oil through the Shatt al-Arab. “Iraqi naval forces had dominated the Arab Gulf, but now they are incapable of protecting our coast,” he also said, highlighting the need for more advanced and faster boats to face the smugglers.
“It is about 180 km in length, and needs more soldiers and equipment to protect it,” he explained. The brigadier blamed the shortage in oil which, according to him, “hampers our moves.” The Shatt al-Arab is a river in southwest Iraq, formed by the convergence of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers at the town of al-Qurnah in Basra, southern Iraq.
“The smugglers’ boats have more advanced weapons than we have,” he added. Jasem’s statement came in response to comments made by some Iraqi parliamentarians who warned against the increase in the smuggling of crude oil through the Shatt al-Arab. “Iraqi naval forces had dominated the Arab Gulf, but now they are incapable of protecting our coast,” he also said, highlighting the need for more advanced and faster boats to face the smugglers.
“It is about 180 km in length, and needs more soldiers and equipment to protect it,” he explained. The brigadier blamed the shortage in oil which, according to him, “hampers our moves.” The Shatt al-Arab is a river in southwest Iraq, formed by the convergence of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers at the town of al-Qurnah in Basra, southern Iraq.
Labels: Brigadier Abdul Hakim Jasem, oil, security, Shatt al-Arab, smugglers
Monday, July 02, 2007
Iraqi / Iranian Agreement To Fix The Shatt Al Arab Situation
Government, Regional
(Al Istaqama Newspaper) - 1 JUL - On June 30th, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced an Iraqi / Iranian agreement to form a joint committee to fix the Shatt Al Arab situation has been reached. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement was released after a visit to Iran by an Iraqi delegation. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs met with the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Manuchehr Motaki, to discuss bilateral relations and methods to develop them.
The statement added they discussed the river border between the two countries, especially the Shatt Al Arab issue. The Deputy Foreign Minister confirmed that the Shatt Al Arab has changed. Motaki confirmed that the Shatt Al Arab issue is important for both sides. Recently, he visited the area and saw that the path of the river has changed toward the Iraqi side. Motaki added that both countries need a quick solution to fix this situation and return the river to its original path. Motaki mentioned the necessity of starting to work with a joint committee to fix the problem. Both sides agreed to form this committee and to work quickly.
The statement added that the Iraqi government will name its representatives for this committee within the next few days. The Deputy Foreign Minister confirmed that there is no problem with the normal borders because the grids have been determined in the “Al Istana Protocol” in 1913, 1975 and 1937 agreements. During the meeting between the Iraqi Foreign Ministry and the Iranian Foreign Ministry, they signed an agreement to open General Consulates (Iraqi and Iranian) to improve the friendship and neighboring relations between the two countries.
Labels: Al Istana Protocol, Manouchehr Mottaki, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shatt al-Arab
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Cartels control oil and vehicle smuggling in the south
Security
(Iraq Directory) - Adviser of the Minister of Transport in the southern region, Thamir Alftlawi, drew the attention to the aggravated smuggling operations through a region on the Gulf at the entrance of Shatt al-Arab. He said that: the area which is about four kilometers wide is located near Al-Awama Five, pointing out that what he called mafias are smuggling oil and receiving ships loaded with cars not allowed to be imported.
It seems that the American forces which exert influence on this spot to protect oil tankers do not bother the coming and departure of the smuggling ships. Al-Fatlawi said: this encouraged smugglers to carry out massive mutual smuggling operations, explaining that the Iraqi security authorities are banned from interfering because the region is under the influence of foreign forces.
The depth of Iraqi territorial waters is 12 miles where smugglers use boats with cranes to unload cargo from the coming ships which are loaded with prohibited cars several miles away while the smuggling of oil products particularly kerosine, or the so-called diesel, are carried out from the coast that the smuggling groups are called diesel mafia.
The ports of Basrah are under the control of Iraqi forces which form more than a department. Brigadier Hakeem Al-Jassam, Director prescriptive of the Coast Guard, said: his brigade which is sharing security with naval force is prepared to impose its control over the region and prevent smuggling operations on condition it is provide with boats and vehicles like those used by smugglers. According to Al-Jassam, smuggling groups possess the technical and military supplies to keep its operations safe and confidential as evidenced by their ownership of armored boats.
According to information, the smuggled cars come to Iraq from the ports of Dubai, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain and Al-Hamriyah, but the Advisor to the Minister of Transport in the southern region did not clarify whether the quantities of smuggled kerosine go to those ports or not. Iraqi ports are suffering of many problems and challenges and this pattern of smuggling represents the most severe one; observers kept accusing parties and officials to stand behind these operations, but the Advisor said that: specialized gangs stand behind those operations and that the local government in the province, is making a great effort to pursue them.
It seems that the American forces which exert influence on this spot to protect oil tankers do not bother the coming and departure of the smuggling ships. Al-Fatlawi said: this encouraged smugglers to carry out massive mutual smuggling operations, explaining that the Iraqi security authorities are banned from interfering because the region is under the influence of foreign forces.
The depth of Iraqi territorial waters is 12 miles where smugglers use boats with cranes to unload cargo from the coming ships which are loaded with prohibited cars several miles away while the smuggling of oil products particularly kerosine, or the so-called diesel, are carried out from the coast that the smuggling groups are called diesel mafia.
The ports of Basrah are under the control of Iraqi forces which form more than a department. Brigadier Hakeem Al-Jassam, Director prescriptive of the Coast Guard, said: his brigade which is sharing security with naval force is prepared to impose its control over the region and prevent smuggling operations on condition it is provide with boats and vehicles like those used by smugglers. According to Al-Jassam, smuggling groups possess the technical and military supplies to keep its operations safe and confidential as evidenced by their ownership of armored boats.
According to information, the smuggled cars come to Iraq from the ports of Dubai, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain and Al-Hamriyah, but the Advisor to the Minister of Transport in the southern region did not clarify whether the quantities of smuggled kerosine go to those ports or not. Iraqi ports are suffering of many problems and challenges and this pattern of smuggling represents the most severe one; observers kept accusing parties and officials to stand behind these operations, but the Advisor said that: specialized gangs stand behind those operations and that the local government in the province, is making a great effort to pursue them.
Labels: Al-Awama Five, cars, Ministry of Transport, oil, Shatt al-Arab, smuggling, Thamir Alftlawi
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Iran - U.K. navy personnel being treated 'humanely'
Iran, Security, Politics, U.K.
(AP) - Iran said Tuesday the 15 British sailors and marines it detained last week are healthy, have been treated in a humane manner and that the only female sailor among them had been given privacy. Hosseini would not say where the Britons were being kept and reiterated that their case is under investigation.
Iran has said it is questioning the British sailors and marines to determine if their alleged entry into Iranian waters was "intentional or unintentional" before deciding what to do with them, the first sign it could be seeking a way out of the standoff. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday he hopes diplomacy will win their release but is prepared to move to a "different phase" if not.
Asked what that meant, Blair replied: "Well, we will just have to see, but what they should understand is that we cannot have a situation where our servicemen and women are seized when actually they are in Iraqi waters under a U.N. mandate."
With the precise Iran, Iraq border line in the Shatt al-Arab in dispute, the fate of the 15 Britons may depend on Iran's interpretation of their intent and whether they strayed across the frontier by accident. On Saturday, Iran's military chief, Gen. Ali Reza Afshar had said the 15 confessed to "aggression into the Islamic Republic of Iran's waters." But Deputy Foreign Minister Mehzi Mostafavi took a softer line Monday. "It should become clear whether their entry was intentional or unintentional. After that is clarified, the necessary decision will be made," Mostafavi said.
Iran has refused to allow British officials to speak with the service members. But the official Iranian news agency said Iranian officials have told the British that their diplomats can see the 15 after the investigation is concluded.
There were fears in Britain that the fate of the 15 could get caught up in the political tensions between Tehran and the West, including the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and accusations of Iranian help to Shiite militants in Iraq. In particular, there were worries Iran might seek to use the prisoners as leverage in trying to get the U.S. to free at least five Iranians detained in Iraq for allegedly being part of a Revolutionary Guard force. Mostafavi denied Iran was seeking a trade, but there were calls from elsewhere within Iran's leadership for the government to hold out for a swap.
Some members of the Iranian public also called for the British sailors and marines to be held and tried. Hundreds of Iranian students demonstrated near the coast to urge a tough stand. Calls for the release of the Britons also came from the European Union, Iraq and the United States, under whose command the military search team was serving. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the personnel were seized in Iraqi waters and should be released.
Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Baghdad there was no connection between the capture and other disputes.
Iran has said it is questioning the British sailors and marines to determine if their alleged entry into Iranian waters was "intentional or unintentional" before deciding what to do with them, the first sign it could be seeking a way out of the standoff. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday he hopes diplomacy will win their release but is prepared to move to a "different phase" if not.
Asked what that meant, Blair replied: "Well, we will just have to see, but what they should understand is that we cannot have a situation where our servicemen and women are seized when actually they are in Iraqi waters under a U.N. mandate."
With the precise Iran, Iraq border line in the Shatt al-Arab in dispute, the fate of the 15 Britons may depend on Iran's interpretation of their intent and whether they strayed across the frontier by accident. On Saturday, Iran's military chief, Gen. Ali Reza Afshar had said the 15 confessed to "aggression into the Islamic Republic of Iran's waters." But Deputy Foreign Minister Mehzi Mostafavi took a softer line Monday. "It should become clear whether their entry was intentional or unintentional. After that is clarified, the necessary decision will be made," Mostafavi said.
Iran has refused to allow British officials to speak with the service members. But the official Iranian news agency said Iranian officials have told the British that their diplomats can see the 15 after the investigation is concluded.
There were fears in Britain that the fate of the 15 could get caught up in the political tensions between Tehran and the West, including the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and accusations of Iranian help to Shiite militants in Iraq. In particular, there were worries Iran might seek to use the prisoners as leverage in trying to get the U.S. to free at least five Iranians detained in Iraq for allegedly being part of a Revolutionary Guard force. Mostafavi denied Iran was seeking a trade, but there were calls from elsewhere within Iran's leadership for the government to hold out for a swap.
Some members of the Iranian public also called for the British sailors and marines to be held and tried. Hundreds of Iranian students demonstrated near the coast to urge a tough stand. Calls for the release of the Britons also came from the European Union, Iraq and the United States, under whose command the military search team was serving. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the personnel were seized in Iraqi waters and should be released.
Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Baghdad there was no connection between the capture and other disputes.
Labels: Blair, British navy, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran, Mehzi Mostafavi, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, Shatt al-Arab
Monday, March 26, 2007
Iran - Navy personnel may be charged
Security, Iran, U.K.
(BBC) - Fifteen Royal Navy personnel captured on Friday could be charged with illegally entering Iranian waters, officials in Iran have warned. Iran's foreign minister said the issue was "being considered legally" and suggested there may be charges. But Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett have insisted there was no violation of Iranian territory. The Foreign Office said it is continuing to press for access to the group, and information on them.
On Sunday the UK ambassador to Iran, Geoffrey Adams, met officials in Tehran but failed to find out where the eight sailors and seven marines were being held or to gain consular access. Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday said Iran's detention of the personnel was "unjustified and wrong". Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, speaking from New York on Sunday, said the captured Britons were involved in "the illegal entrance into Iranian territorial waters and this issue is being considered legally".
Students belonging to the paramilitary Basij group, which is close to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have called for the Britons to be put on trial. BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said that in a telephone call with Mrs Beckett, Mr Mottaki said consular access was not likely until the initial investigations had been concluded. Our correspondent said the Iranians were not yet thought to have hinted at any kind of deal or exchange to secure the release of the British personnel.
Instead, arguments had continued to focus on the exact position of the boats and whose waters they were in.
Our correspondent said in part this could be because the personnel were taken by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and the Iranian government as a whole may not yet have developed a unified position on how to proceed.
Dr Ali Pahlavan, the executive editor of Iran News - the only independent paper in Tehran - told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the "ultra conservative" Revolutionary Guard believed that Britain and the US needed to be challenged. "This could be part of the strategy to challenge British and American supremacy in this part of the world, which is troubling because this could lead to confrontation and this could be a trigger and could lead to escalation".
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has backed the British call for the personnel to be released, as has the EU. The capture took place as the UN Security Council voted unanimously in favour of further sanctions against Iran for its refusal to suspend its nuclear enrichment programme. Three years ago, eight British servicemen were detained by Iran after a similar confrontation. In the current incident, the Britons, who include one woman, were seized at gunpoint after inspecting an Iraqi boat and returning to their two small boats to head back to HMS Cornwall.
On Sunday the UK ambassador to Iran, Geoffrey Adams, met officials in Tehran but failed to find out where the eight sailors and seven marines were being held or to gain consular access. Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday said Iran's detention of the personnel was "unjustified and wrong". Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, speaking from New York on Sunday, said the captured Britons were involved in "the illegal entrance into Iranian territorial waters and this issue is being considered legally".
Students belonging to the paramilitary Basij group, which is close to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have called for the Britons to be put on trial. BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said that in a telephone call with Mrs Beckett, Mr Mottaki said consular access was not likely until the initial investigations had been concluded. Our correspondent said the Iranians were not yet thought to have hinted at any kind of deal or exchange to secure the release of the British personnel.
Instead, arguments had continued to focus on the exact position of the boats and whose waters they were in.
Our correspondent said in part this could be because the personnel were taken by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and the Iranian government as a whole may not yet have developed a unified position on how to proceed.
Dr Ali Pahlavan, the executive editor of Iran News - the only independent paper in Tehran - told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the "ultra conservative" Revolutionary Guard believed that Britain and the US needed to be challenged. "This could be part of the strategy to challenge British and American supremacy in this part of the world, which is troubling because this could lead to confrontation and this could be a trigger and could lead to escalation".
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has backed the British call for the personnel to be released, as has the EU. The capture took place as the UN Security Council voted unanimously in favour of further sanctions against Iran for its refusal to suspend its nuclear enrichment programme. Three years ago, eight British servicemen were detained by Iran after a similar confrontation. In the current incident, the Britons, who include one woman, were seized at gunpoint after inspecting an Iraqi boat and returning to their two small boats to head back to HMS Cornwall.
Labels: Iran, Manouchehr Mottaki, Royal Navy, Shatt al-Arab, U.K.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
British captives may be in dungeons of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
Security, Iran
(The Times) - The 15 British sailors and Royal Marines captured by Iranian Revolutionary Guards in a waterway separating Iran and Iraq were yesterday trapped in an outbreak of aggressive political brinkmanship that may mark a bleak turning point in the West’s relations with Tehran. Officials in London and Washington remained publicly optimistic that Iran would respond to international pressure and free them within days, despite claims by a senior military official in Tehran that the captives had “confessed” to illegally entering Iranian territorial waters on Friday in a pair of rigid inflatable boats known as RIBs.
Yet there were ominous signs from Tehran that hardline religious elements were seeking to turn the incident into a major confrontation with the West. Several conservative student groups called on the Iranian government not to release the service personnel until five Iranians detained by US forces in Iraq earlier this year were released. The groups also called for the cancellation of United Nations sanctions imposed on Iran after a unanimous security council vote in New York last night. The new sanctions were in response to Tehran’s refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, which may be used to build nuclear weapons.
Iran shrugged off the vote and vowed to pursue its nuclear goals. “Suspension is neither an option nor a solution,” said Manouchehr Mottaki, the foreign minister. “I can assure you that pressure and intimidation will not change Iranian policy.”
The British captives were said by one Iranian source to have been moved yesterday into the notorious dungeons of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at the Ghasre Firouzeh military complex in Tehran.
There was widespread speculation that the seizure may have been a reprisal for the arrest by US troops of five members of the IRGC’s elite al-Quds Brigade, which has been accused by the Pentagon of arming and assisting Shi’ite militias in Iraq. The IRGC has also been stung by a series of apparent defections of high-ranking officers.
The Sunday Times last week quoted Reza Falker, a writer for the Revolutionary Guards’ weekly newspaper, as saying: “We’ve got the ability to capture a nice bunch of blue-eyed blond-haired officers and feed them to our fighting cocks.” The Sunday Times article also quoted a Jordanian intelligence officer as saying: “In Iraq, the Quds force can easily get hold of American and British officers.”
The British personnel seized on Friday were in Iraqi waters, according to their commanding officer, Commodore Nick Lambert of the frigate HMS Cornwall, who said he had “absolutely no doubt” about their position. US military officials publicly supported Britain’s claim that the seized sailors and marines were inside Iraqi waters, but sources in Washington privately acknowledged it was a difficult case to prove. The Iraqi military commander in nominal charge of territorial waters cast further doubt on the British claim.
“We were informed by Iraqi fishermen . . . that there were British gunboats in an area that is out of Iraqi control,” said Brigadier-General Hakim Jassim in Basra. “We don’t know why they were there.” Yet the main concern in both London and Washington was that legal niceties would rapidly become irrelevant if the incident spirals into a stage-managed confrontation over Iran’s nuclear weapons programme and its alleged subversion in Iraq. Most worrying for London were recent belligerent remarks by Khamenei, who was said by an Iranian source yesterday to have personally approved the order to abduct the Britons.
The fact that the IRGC has custody of the captives will further complicate efforts to find a diplomatic solution. The force, considered the elite of Iran, operates independently of Ahmadinejad’s government. Sources in Tehran said the British prisoners were almost certain to be suffering similar conditions to those endured by the eight captives held in 2004. They were subjected to mock executions and told they would be put on trial as spies. If Tehran concludes this time that its status in the Middle East will be enhanced by a show trial of British “aggressors”, this crisis could last for months.
Yet there were ominous signs from Tehran that hardline religious elements were seeking to turn the incident into a major confrontation with the West. Several conservative student groups called on the Iranian government not to release the service personnel until five Iranians detained by US forces in Iraq earlier this year were released. The groups also called for the cancellation of United Nations sanctions imposed on Iran after a unanimous security council vote in New York last night. The new sanctions were in response to Tehran’s refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, which may be used to build nuclear weapons.
Iran shrugged off the vote and vowed to pursue its nuclear goals. “Suspension is neither an option nor a solution,” said Manouchehr Mottaki, the foreign minister. “I can assure you that pressure and intimidation will not change Iranian policy.”
The British captives were said by one Iranian source to have been moved yesterday into the notorious dungeons of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at the Ghasre Firouzeh military complex in Tehran.
There was widespread speculation that the seizure may have been a reprisal for the arrest by US troops of five members of the IRGC’s elite al-Quds Brigade, which has been accused by the Pentagon of arming and assisting Shi’ite militias in Iraq. The IRGC has also been stung by a series of apparent defections of high-ranking officers.
The Sunday Times last week quoted Reza Falker, a writer for the Revolutionary Guards’ weekly newspaper, as saying: “We’ve got the ability to capture a nice bunch of blue-eyed blond-haired officers and feed them to our fighting cocks.” The Sunday Times article also quoted a Jordanian intelligence officer as saying: “In Iraq, the Quds force can easily get hold of American and British officers.”
The British personnel seized on Friday were in Iraqi waters, according to their commanding officer, Commodore Nick Lambert of the frigate HMS Cornwall, who said he had “absolutely no doubt” about their position. US military officials publicly supported Britain’s claim that the seized sailors and marines were inside Iraqi waters, but sources in Washington privately acknowledged it was a difficult case to prove. The Iraqi military commander in nominal charge of territorial waters cast further doubt on the British claim.
“We were informed by Iraqi fishermen . . . that there were British gunboats in an area that is out of Iraqi control,” said Brigadier-General Hakim Jassim in Basra. “We don’t know why they were there.” Yet the main concern in both London and Washington was that legal niceties would rapidly become irrelevant if the incident spirals into a stage-managed confrontation over Iran’s nuclear weapons programme and its alleged subversion in Iraq. Most worrying for London were recent belligerent remarks by Khamenei, who was said by an Iranian source yesterday to have personally approved the order to abduct the Britons.
The fact that the IRGC has custody of the captives will further complicate efforts to find a diplomatic solution. The force, considered the elite of Iran, operates independently of Ahmadinejad’s government. Sources in Tehran said the British prisoners were almost certain to be suffering similar conditions to those endured by the eight captives held in 2004. They were subjected to mock executions and told they would be put on trial as spies. If Tehran concludes this time that its status in the Middle East will be enhanced by a show trial of British “aggressors”, this crisis could last for months.
Labels: British navy, Ghasre Firouzeh, Iran, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Manouchehr Mottaki, Shatt al-Arab, Tehran
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Iran condemns 'illegal' entry of British naval personnel
Security, Region
(Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned what called the illegal entry of British naval personnel into Iranian waters as a "suspicious act," the official IRNA news agency said on Saturday. Iranian forces seized 15 British servicemen on Friday in the mouth of the waterway that separates Iran and Iraq, triggering a diplomatic crisis at a time of heightened tension over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
"The Foreign Ministry's spokesman called the illegal and interfering entry of British forces into Iranian territorial waters a suspicious act and against international laws and rules and has harshly condemned it," IRNA said, revising an earlier report which did not include the word "interfering."
"The Foreign Ministry's spokesman called the illegal and interfering entry of British forces into Iranian territorial waters a suspicious act and against international laws and rules and has harshly condemned it," IRNA said, revising an earlier report which did not include the word "interfering."
It quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini as saying: "Violating the territory of other countries and non-permitted entrance ... show unusual aims and is against international treaties and there are no excuses for ignoring and not accepting the responsibility for that."
Iranian state television said on Friday Iran had summoned the British charge d'affaires to protest over the incident. Britain said the servicemen were seized in Iraqi waters and demanded their release. "We will continue to be in contact with the Iranians here and in London," a British diplomat in Tehran told Reuters, adding Ambassador Geoffrey Adams has returned to Iran.
"The Iranians have not confirmed to us where they are being held yet," another British diplomat said, adding that news reports indicated they were taken to a military base in the southwest Iran. It mirrored a similar event in 2004 when Iran seized eight British servicemen in the Shatt al-Arab and held them for three nights.
Iranian state television said on Friday Iran had summoned the British charge d'affaires to protest over the incident. Britain said the servicemen were seized in Iraqi waters and demanded their release. "We will continue to be in contact with the Iranians here and in London," a British diplomat in Tehran told Reuters, adding Ambassador Geoffrey Adams has returned to Iran.
"The Iranians have not confirmed to us where they are being held yet," another British diplomat said, adding that news reports indicated they were taken to a military base in the southwest Iran. It mirrored a similar event in 2004 when Iran seized eight British servicemen in the Shatt al-Arab and held them for three nights.
Labels: British navy, Iran, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, Shatt al-Arab
