15 British soldiers are apparently captured in Iranian waters by Iranian military after mistakenly entering the restricted area.
The British response to this is to claim that the captured seaman where not in Iranian waters but within Iraq’s waters of which they have a right to be in and patrol.
The Iranians claim the opposite and have released video confession from the detainees admitting that they entered Iranian waters
The right to patrol and police these waters is in itself a dubious claim but that is not the issue which is most bizarre about this situation.
If the British soldiers where in Iraq waters, doing their usual patrols, how is it that they where able to be captured by the Iranians? They must be pretty useless soldiers. If they where in Iranian waters by accident, then it leads one to believe that these soldier’s orienting skills are somewhat lacking and are thus pretty useless soldiers.
The way that the British press is handling the situation is by turning it in to a human interest story and thus generating public support for the captured soldiers because it’s much easier to find sympathy with a young white chap from Essex called Dave than it is for Private 91354, and did I miss a memo? but why have they suddenly become “captured sailors” and not “captured soldiers” as was first reported. What a very subtle but very effective way of re-branding the captured military personal.
It all smells very much of what playground dwellers call “shit-stirring”- a tactic used to create a drama out of which can arise the opportunity for a punch-up. Only in this case it will be bullets and mortar rounds that will do the striking.
If the British Government are guilty of trying to make a crisis out of a drama they are not alone, and the Iranians are just as keen to play sillybuggers.
The Iranian government is also guilty of helping to instigate a skirmish by acting like the injured party aggrieved at the dishonesty of the invasion in to their waters and trying to draw Teachers attention to the outrages acts committed by their foe , for no other reason than to wind them up. The Iranian government stands behind Teachers back laughing with 2 fingers up as the British jump up and down spluttering “but. but…” getting more and more incensed at the apparent injustice of it all.
The whole situation is extremely fishy and I would doubt that it what hold up to any real investigation. The evidence is all rather flimsy and there remain a few odd questions…odd only because they have be asked.
Where the British soldiers in Iraq or Iranian waters? And did they know that they were there?
Did they go there on purpose or was it a genuine mistake?
Could the British have set this up in attempt to secure a reason to invade Iran?
Could the Iranian government be using this opportunity to try and secure the release of captured Iranian personal?
Is this a double bluff by one of the governments or a just a genuine diplomatic balls up by both?
A quote in today’s Guardian newspaper from an Iranian business man, Hamid,34 say “They should be released, The Iranian government is misusing it to deflect attention from other problems”
This could be said of the British Government also.
It’s a shame that the U.N cant act like the older, more responsible member of the playground and take a hold of the situation while teaching both of the squabbling little nations how to work their difference out sensibly.
However that’s probably far to much to ask as they have never been able to do that will more than likely shy away from the situation and sulk in the corner muttering to themselves asking why should they bother cos nobody ever listens to them anyway.
