-- BASRA, Iraq -- Iranian forces seized 15 British Royal Navy personnel who had searched a merchant ship on Friday, Britain said, triggering a diplomatic crisis at a time of heightened tensions over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.They got away with this type of stunt once before.
If Iran has miscalculated this time, they may be headed for the geopolitical vet clinic... to be decisively neutered.
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Iran backs off UN visitIran's president will miss a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Saturday because the US delayed issuing visas, Iranian officials say.Visas my ass... Ahmadinejad just blinked.
Former Royal Navy Chief Admiral Sir Alan West explains...
So we try to downplay things. Rather then roaring into action and sinking everything in sight we try to step back and that, of course, is why our chaps were effectively able to be captured and taken away.**********
If we find this is going to be a standard practice we need to think very carefully about what rules of engagement we want and how we operate. One can't allow as a standard practice nations to capture a nation's servicemen. That is clearly wrong.
UPDATE: British reaction
The incident comes at a time of renewed tensions with Iran over its nuclear programme, which Western powers fear could be used to develop a nuclear weapon.RELATED: Saturday vote on sanctions
British Army Colonel Justin Maciejewski, who is based in Iraq, said most of the violence against UK forces in Basra is being engineered by Iranian elements.
Col Maciejewski said Iran was providing "sophisticated weaponry" to insurgents and "Iranian agents" were paying local men to attack British troops.
The top UK diplomat at the UN has said a new Security Council resolution on Iran has been agreed and is expected to go to a vote on Saturday.
The draft resolution proposes a ban on the export of arms from Iran, a call for governments not to make new loans to Iran, travel restrictions on people involved in Tehran's nuclear programme, and a freeze on the assets of key Iranian leaders.
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