The Iranian mullahs are back in the news again, this time thanks to something that could be interpreted as an act of war:
LONDON, March 23 ? Fifteen British sailors carrying out a routine inspection in the Persian Gulf were captured at gunpoint and taken into custody by Iranian forces on Friday morning, the British Ministry of Defense said.
The foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, summoned the Iranian ambassador here to demand their immediate release
(…)
The sailors were from the H.M.S. Cornwall, a British Type 22 frigate. Commodore Nick Lambert, the Cornwall?s commanding officer, told the B.B.C. that he hoped the incident was the result of a ?simple misunderstanding at the tactical level.? The waters separating Iran and Iraq have long been the subject of bitter territorial disputes between the two countries.
?There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that they were in Iraqi territorial waters,? Commodore Lambert said of the British sailors. ?Equally, the Iranians may claim they were in Iranian waters.?
He added that the two British boats had apparently been moved to Iranian bases, but that there was no evidence that there had been any fighting. He also said that the sailors appeared to be safe, and that they had behaved in an ?extremely professional way, in line with the rules of engagement,? the B.B.C. reported.
This could get pretty interesting.
