29 March 2007
The battle of words between British and Iranian authorities over the imprisonment of 15 British navy soldiers captured in the waters between Iran and Iraq is escalating. Seaman Faye Turney, 26, one of the sailors seized from two inflatable patrol boats by Iran's Revolutionary Guards while inspecting a merchant freight vessel in the contested waters, was shown on Iranian television, looking distressed, wearing a head scarf and reading a speech in which she appeared to confess to having “trespassed” in Iranian waters. She also praised her captors, saying they were "very friendly, very hospitable and very thoughtful, nice people." After the videotape was broadcast, Margaret Beckett, the British foreign secretary, said that she was concerned about "any indication of pressure on or coercion of our personnel." Iran's foreign minister Mottaki has promised that the woman would be released on Thursday at the latest. Nonetheless, the other soldiers are to remain in a Tehran jail.
The British government has suspended all links with Iran in response to the situation and has referred the matter to the UN Security Council. On Wednesday, UK officials produced satellite evidence that they said proved the British boats, attached to a warship patrolling international seas, had never entered Iranian waters. Iran had initially offered similar proof that the boat had strayed over the marine boundary, but the co-ordinates it offered were shown to be in international waters. Iran later released a revised set of co-ordinates, placing the boats on the Iranian side of the boundary. British and Iranian officials exchanged counterclaims over the boat's position throughout the day.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has responded angrily to the Iranian refusal to liberate the remaining 14 soldiers. He told the House of Commons in London: “It is now time to ratchet up the diplomatic and international pressure in order to make sure the Iranian government understands their total isolation on this issue. There was no justification whatever for [the sailors'] detention. It was completely unacceptable, wrong and illegal.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards and their supporters appeared to be calling for a trial of the sailors on espionage charges, while more moderate parties seemed to be arguing for their release, according to observers in Tehran. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is closely tied to the Revolutionary Guards, has so far been silent on the issue.
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