The British Troops Hostage Situation Continues in Iran: UK-Iran Relations Go from Bad to Worse

“Margaret Thatcher and Margaret Beckett share a first name, but that’s all,” The Sun wrote in one of its editorials.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said: “I think everyone regrets that this position has arisen. What we want is a way out of it.”

A member of Britain’s Chatham House think tank, Robert McGeehan, said: “However, Britain’s Conservative opposition has been relatively quiet - perhaps recognizing the fact that there seems to be little appetite in the country for a second Middle Eastern conflict - Blair, who at 53 probably harbors ambitions that extend beyond his last few months as prime minister, would be reluctant to add another war to his tarnished legacy. Being the author of a new war, even a limited one would not be a way to further his ambition.”

The Sunday Times said in an editorial that, “The crew proved humiliatingly vulnerable to a low-tech Iranian naval maneuver that has produced mocking headlines around the world.”

The 41-year-old stenographer Alan Bell says: “The government is in a very difficult position. It’s an act of provocation and it would be very easy to act in an inflammatory way. I would like to see them out but it will go on for a while. There’s a lot of political maneuvering left to do.”

The 40-year-old interior stylist, Melinda Ashton-Tanner, said: “The thing that concerns me is how long will it be before the Americans get involved? I don’t think it’s about the British. I have a sense that the Americans would use it as an excuse to get into Iran.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council chief, Ali Larijani, said: “There is no need for any trial of the sailors captured by Iran on March 23.”

Larijani told Channel Four News that, “Definitely our priority would not be trial. Our priority is to solve the problem through diplomatic channels. We are not interested in having this issue get further complicated.”

“It is at the beginning of the path. If they continue on this path then logically conditions can change and we can go toward ending this issue,” AFP quoted Larijani as telling Iranian state media today.

Larijani said that, “In order to resolve the impasse, Britain would have to admit its military personnel had intruded into Iranian territorial waters and guarantee this violation would not be committed again.”

“We would be interested in diplomatic discussions, and, in my view, it is quite resolvable. I believe there should be a delegation to clarify whether the British personnel intruded into Iranian waters,” he said.

The British Foreign Office in London said in a statement that, “Larijani’s comments, made in an interview yesterday with a U.K. broadcaster, are a foundation for a diplomatic solution to this problem.”

Iran’s official news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in a speech in the city of Andinmeshk: “The British occupier forces did trespass our waters. Our border guards detained them with skill and bravery. But arrogant powers, because of their arrogant and selfish spirit, are claiming otherwise.”

“Instead of apologizing over trespassing by British forces, the world arrogant powers issue statements and deliver speeches,” Ahmadinejad told a crowd in southeastern Iran.

The head of the Iranian parliament’s foreign affairs commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said that, “To resolve these problems, London needs to send an official mission to give explanations.”

“The British government has started diplomatic discussions with the foreign ministry to resolve the issue of the British military personnel. From the start it was intended to resolve this affair through bilateral contacts and that the other side would recognize its error but they behaved as if their violation of Iranian waters was something normal,” Larijani told state television’s central news agency.

British foreign office said in a statement that, “There remain some differences between us, but we can confirm we share his preference for early bilateral discussions to find a diplomatic solution to this problem. We will be following this up with the Iranian authorities given our shared desire to make early progress.

Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spokesman, Tom Kelly, said at a briefing in London that, “The Iranians know that stage-managed television appearances won’t affect our position. They know we have international support and the Iranians are in the wrong position.”

Tony Blair’s official spokesman also said that, “Britain is sticking by its position as fresh footage of the sailors and marines aired on Iranian TV. There is a lot going on behind the scenes, and the current public holiday season in Iran has inevitably impacted a bit on the process. The UK has replied to an initial note delivered to the British embassy, and is now waiting for Tehran’s response. We have made it quite clear they were seized in Iraqi waters, and we want them released.”

Tony Blair said: “The U.K. will try to keep negotiations with Iran over 15 captive sailors peaceful and calm while preparing to take a harder line. Iran the door is open to a diplomatic deal. The most important thing is to get the people back safe and sound.”

Blair said at a press conference in Glasgow that, “All the way through we’ve had two very clear tracks on this: one is to try to settle this by way of peaceful and calm negotiations, the other is to make it clear that if that’s not possible, we have to take an increasingly tougher position. The best way to deal with this is in a diplomatic way,” Blair said at a press conference in Glasgow.”

In a news conference with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on March 31, the U.S. President, George W. Bush, said: “I support Tony Blair’s efforts to bring the situation to a peaceful conclusion. The detention of U.K. personnel was inexcusable. The Iranians must give back the hostages. The U.K. personnel are innocent, they did nothing wrong and they were summarily plucked out of the water.”

“Iran’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement warning the US to stay out of the conflict,” Russian news service RIA Novosti reported from Tehran. “The U.S. president had better refrain from ill-considered and unreasonable comments,” the ministry said in a statement, RIA reported.

The UN Security Council said on March 29 that, “Iran should release the U.K. service personnel and called for “an early resolution to this problem.”

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, said: “I appealed to Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign ministry, that this issue should be resolved as soon as possible through political and diplomatic consultations. I would hope that this rhetoric, which is not desirable in helping resolve this issue, should be toned down. I know there are many issues involved. But it would be desirable for the international community to see early resolution of this issue in a diplomatic and peaceful way.”

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said: “Britain has the full solidarity of the European Union.”

Britain’s former ambassador to Iran, Sir Richard Dalton, said: “I am cautiously optimistic following Dr Larijani’s comments. It looks as though both sides are looking for a way to solve the crisis and to do so in the not-too-distant future.”

Tory former foreign minister, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, said: “It would have been more noticeable if Bush had not said anything.”

He told BBC1’s Sunday AM: “You need pressure. But if you are going to make threats of economic sanctions, for example, they have to be made privately because otherwise the Iranians are pushed into a humiliating climb-down.”

Britain’s transport secretary, Douglas Alexander, refused to be drawn on the prospect of a pan-European ban on flights in and out of Iran.

The Cabinet minister said: “The Government welcomes signs of international support, but there has to be a twin track approach. On one hand working closely with international partners to make clear the strength of international feeling that these British service personnel should be returned, and the other hand exploring the potential for dialogue with the Iranians, Sunday AM reported.

In past few days, some video footages of four of the British crew have been shown on the Iranian state TV, showing them saying they were captured in Iranian waters. In one of the footages, two of the sailors used maps to show the alleged location where they were seized.

Captain Air said: “So far we have been treated very well by all the people here. They have looked after us and made sure we are given enough food and treated very well by them, so I thank them for that.”

Lieutenant Carman said: “I would like to tell the Iranian people I can understand why you are so angry about our intrusion into your waters.”

A body language expert said: “There were exhibiting signs of nervous behavior, with both holding a pen close to their stomachs with both hands.”

Swansea East MP, Sian James, said: “I am disgusted and appalled at the showing of British military personnel on TV.”

Oil prices slipped Tuesday after Iran said it wanted to resolve a row over 15 British sailors and marines seized in the Gulf through diplomacy and without a trial. Prices had already begun unraveling late Monday when Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, made the previously mentioned comments to Britain’s Channel 4 News.