Iran ‘to try Britons for espionage’

[carpro]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article1563877.ece

From The Sunday Times
March 25, 2007

Iran ‘to try Britons for espionage’

Michael Smith and David Cracknell

EXCERPT

FIFTEEN British sailors and marines arrested by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards off the coast of Iraq may be charged with spying.

A website run by associates of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, reported last night that the Britons would be put before a court and indicted.

Referring to them as “insurgents”, the site concluded: “If it is proven that they deliberately entered Iranian territory, they will be charged with espionage. If that is proven, they can expect a very serious penalty since according to Iranian law, espionage is one of the most serious offences.”

 

[LadyEagle]

am praying for their safety.:tear:

 

[StefanM]

If so, I hope we see the bravery of the Brits of old. If these men are executed, the time for diplomacy will have passed.

 

[carpro]

They won't be executed.

This is all for show.

The muslim world will love it.

The question is, how will the British react? With a whimper or more forcefully?

 

[Bro. James Reed]

As much as my heart goes out to the British people over this, I must say that I'm glad these are not our servicemen.

I think many people all over the world wouldn't look twice if our guys were taken hostage, figuring we've earned it after this horrible war. I think the British are still looked upon much more favorably than we in the rest of the world. Maybe this will wake other Europeans up to know that we are dealing with people who want to make war with us (meaning all free people) and want to kill anyone who does not bow down to their god and their laws.

As much as I dislike the UN, I think this unprovoked attack and kidnapping of British servicemen will make more people there jump up and do something than if the kidnapped men were Americans.

God be with them and their families.raying:

 

[Martin]

This is the same thing Iran did last year. We just need to pray that they continue to follow the same path and release the troops in the next few days. If Iran harms these soldiers in anyway England should consider this an act of ultimate war.

 

[saturneptune]

This is the same thing Iran did last year. We just need to pray that they continue to follow the same path and release the troops in the next few days. If Iran harms these soldiers in anyway England should consider this an act of ultimate war.

And I would hope we would lend a hand.

 

[Ps104_33]

Iran has been trying to push our buttons for a while now. It will be interesting to see how the west reacts to this if Iran follows this through to a conviction and possible execution. What we need is another Reagan at a time like this but it looks like we will end up with a Carter. Britain needs another Churchill.

 

[carpro]

And I would hope we would lend a hand.

Not much chance, with appeasers running Congress.


Some possible reasons for the Iranians taking the Britons:


http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009834

EXCERPT

Earlier this month, the Sunday Times of London reported that the Revolutionary Guards newspaper Subhi Sadek suggested seizing "a nice bunch of blue-eyed blond-haired officers and feed them to our fighting cocks." One possible motive: The apparent defection by Revolutionary Guards commander Ali Reza Asgari, who disappeared in Istanbul last month and is said to know a great deal about Iran's nuclear program. The Iranians may now be using their hostages as payback for General Asgari's defection--or as ransom for his return.

Given the Iranian regime's past success with hostage-taking--whether with U.S. diplomats in Tehran in 1979 or Westerners in Beirut in the 1980s--they may also figure that Prime Minister Tony Blair is willing to pay a steep price to secure release of the sailors before he leaves office later this year. Or perhaps the Iranians want to bargain with Mr. Blair's successor, presumably Chancellor Gordon Brown, whom they might suspect would take a softer line at the U.N. They may also be trying to create a rift between the U.S. and U.K. by offering to trade the British troops for Iranians the U.S. has recently detained inside Iraq.

SNIP

Another possibility: sufficiently bloodying Coalition forces in Iraq to hasten their withdrawal. The mullahs might even hope any fighting would embolden Democrats to do Tehran's bidding by passing legislation that forbids the Administration from attacking Iran without prior Congressional permission. Such a plank was contained in the supplemental war spending bill that passed the House last week until cooler heads removed it.

 

[Martin]

Earlier this month, the Sunday Times of London reported that the Revolutionary Guards newspaper Subhi Sadek suggested seizing "a nice bunch of blue-eyed blond-haired officers and feed them to our fighting cocks."

==I pray that the Iranians are not actually carrying out such a foolish policy. However if anything bad happens to those soldiers England, and her allies, should consider it an act of ultimate war. In that case England's military should take extreme measures to retaliate for the actions of Iran's government.