Iran Captures British sailors in Iraqi waters... can people still say Iran is not looking for a fight?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070323/ap_on_re_eu/british_seized_iran

Can anyone justfy this?

If Iran is so peaceful and has no desire to start a war why attack and capture british sailors out side thier national waters?

Anthony you are right, we need to hear Iran's side of the story, however according to the witness the brits were in iraqi waters.

LongHair: I did read the story, did you?

I dont see anything in there about harrassing fishermen, I see they were "engaged in routine boarding operations of merchant shipping in Iraqi territorial waters,"

no where in that statement does it say harrasment... ohhh wait you always see what you want not what's there... I forgot

Longhair: I forgot... see they are there to help prevent smuggling, you know weapons and such used to kill inocent civilains and the like. but that is not important huh? because for you the brtis and the US will always be in the wrong.

Tinkerbell: Although I agree more information is needed, I also understand you side with people who blow up children and claim it was a legitimate attack. So I will not take you on your word they were in Iranian water thanks.

Good point Nick!

Answer 1

Those who have a grip on Iran know Iran is pushing for a fight.
Those in denial are going to keep asking for talks and sancations and letters even they nuke somebody.

This is an act of war.

I know some won't like it but it is the realtiy of the world we live in.

Answer 2

They want a war but propaganda is everything, they want the rest of the world to believe Iran was attacked first. The USA can't attack without proving (because of Iraq) that they exhausted every diplomatic means and that Iran does, indeed, have nuke desires if not capabilities, have no doubt they have bio/chem WMDs, as does Syria. The nutjob in Tehran has boasted he doesn't care if 2/3 of Iran is destroyed in the coming war which he sees as a "end times" prophecy fulfilment anyways, he needs time to get the weapons, or a situation he can spin for help of those with nukes (Pakistan?) to take out Isreal. With shiites being only about 10% of the world population of muslims and always treated as underdogs, they have something to prove, a chip on their shoulder, they see no way they can lose by going to war. Martyrdom against the infidels rewards them with their version of heaven. Make no mistake Iran wants war, but on their terms. It's regrettable that the British navy has become a bunch of leaky rowboats with so few shells they practice gunnery by standing on deck and yelling "BOOM!" In WW2 they'd have raided the port to get their men back and left it ablaze, that's the Britain we like to remember. The republican guard is not a nationally recognized force therefore recognizes no national treaties such as territorial waters, they need to be blasted from the water, wherever, whenever, no debate.

Answer 3

Perhaps the Iranian government believes that war with US and UK is inevitable.

And they've decided that it's better to have this war now than later.

Both US and UK are preoccupied in Iraq and Afghanistan. And they are less ready now for war with Iran than they will be in the future.

It doesn't make sense for Iranians to wait until both US and UK build up their forces, stock up on military supplies, and free up their armies from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Neither US nor UK are in a good position to mount a large scale invasion of Iran now. And without such an invasion, the Islamic regime of Iran is likely to survive and come out looking like heroes. They've already had a rehearsal of that in Lebanon, when Hizbollah attacked Israel.

What's more, Iranian forces are capable of blocking the flow of oil out of the Persian Gulf. And this means that US and UK will be under great pressure to end any war with Iran quickly in order to restart the flow of oil and prevent a world-wide economic recession.

Perhaps Iranians feel that they are in a good position now to humble the US and UK. And perhaps they feel that they will be able to impose their terms on ending any war with US and UK.

Without any real threat of a large land invasion, Iran can block the flow of oil and wait out the US and UK until they have no choice but to say 'uncle'.

Of course, there is always a danger of a total war where US will re-introduce the draft and build up large armies for invasion of Iran. And perhaps this is why the Iranians captured the British and not the Americans. They don't want to annoy the US too much.

Answer 4

Iran is definately perpetuating a militant stand that has defined their culture since forever. The way I see it they feel they have something up their sleeve. Possibly some secret alliances with communist nations that they think will give them the upper hand if we decide to go to war or "conflict" with them. Hopefully they will drop their war-mongering (all parties involved not pointing fingers) and let Iraq have it's civil war. or maybe they should give it to Iran but negotiate for oil rights in exchange for allowing them to complete their civilian nuclear program with some funding from the US and the UK. Everything should have a reasonable solution that is agreeable by both parties. Even though a good compromise leaves everyone mad it would be better to have a bad relationship that doesnt end in bloodshed than a winner of a war.

Answer 5

My guess is that Iran will release the sailors soon. Iran is not stupid enough to push the UK and its allies like this. Mistreating, killing, or failing to release the prisoners will surely result in great harm being done to Iran.

Iran will release the prisoners, and say that it is an act of mercy. When they release them, they will make a statement about how the sailors were in the wrong. There will be a back room agreement that had Britain not making any more inflammatory statements about Iran.

Answer 6

Yes,we can still say that Iran is not looking for a fight,because well it's still unclear where exactly the Brits were...It seems that the satellite tracking systems on the British boats proved they were inside Iranian waters... Guess we'll have to wait for more details...

Answer 7

Iran knows we do not have the troop power to do anything right now so I'm sure they're feeling pretty invincible. We just redeployed the first battalion to enter Bagdad back in to Bagdad. We are recycling troops who are already exhausted from 2,3,4 tours of duty. Iran is going to take advantage of that and they are. If we went to war with Iran, we would be headed for a disaster beyond all comprehension. Are you willing to sign your name on to go in to Iran? I'm not. We should have been paying attention to them instead of Hussein. We should also be paying very close attention to China for that matter. Jeez, scary times.

Answer 8

The needed a bargaining chip to try to get the International Community to back off on the sanctions regarding their Nuclear Program. At this point, they believe that, with the U.S. occupied in Iraq and Afghanistan, they can act with impunity.

I wondered what was going to happen when, yesterday or the day before, the chief Imam came out and indicated that they would proceed with the program using "all means necessary."

Answer 9

No the GPS system they were using was supplied by BUSH! it said they were in Long Island Sound! Conspiracy!!!! Haliburton gift to the Brits for giving us thermite to blow the WTC!

The Iranians are looking for a way to Show they are civilized, They will send back the men without a problem. They are trying to seperate the Brits and the Americans.


Anthony is also waiting to hear the Hunters side of the Bambi killings.................

Answer 10

If you actually read the story, it looks like the British were harassing Iranian and Iraqi fishermen. By what right were they doing this?

Answer 11

I'd like to hear the Iranian side of the story. Such as...were the Brits in Iranian waters?