Tehran releases 8 British sailors

Associated Press | June 23 2004

The Foreign Ministry said eight British sailors who had been detained for illegally entering Iranian waters were released Wednesday, defusing a dispute that had gone to high levels in both Tehran and London.
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"The eight British sailors, including six soldiers and two ranking military officials, have been released," a ministry spokeswoman told The Associated Press.
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The men were detained in the Shatt al Arab waterway on Monday as they were delivering a patrol boat for the new Iraqi Riverine Patrol Service. The waterway, which runs along the Iran-Iraq border, is known as the Arvand River in Iran.
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A top Iranian military official had said the sailors were being released because their intrusion into Iran's waters apparently was a mistake. Two of the sailors had been shown on Iranian TV apologizing and acknowledging that they had made an error.
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Iran previously said that the three boats were eight-tenths of a kilometer, or half a mile, inside its territorial waters and that the men would be prosecuted.
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A Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi of Iran had played a key role in resolving the minor border incident that was turning into a major diplomatic crisis. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of Britain phoned Kharrazi on Tuesday to ask for the release of the sailors.
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British and Iraqi troops regularly patrol the narrow river, which is a popular route for smugglers and militants trying to enter Iraq. The river is strategically vital to both Iran and Iraq, and tension over its control was a chief factor in the 1980-88 war between the countries.
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The incident came at a prickly time in the area. Last week, Britain, along with France and Germany, pushed through a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency that sharply criticized Iran for not cooperating with UN nuclear inspectors.
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Zhand Shakibi, a political science professor specializing in the Middle East at the London School of Economics, said Iran could be sending a message about border control. It has been reported that the U.S. military has been sending spies into Iran to stir ethnic tensions, Shakibi said. (AP, NYT) "It could be signaling two things," Shakibi said. "'We are disappointed that London has supported the criticism of us on the nuclear issue.' And it could be a message saying: 'Stay away from the borders. We know what you've been up to.'" TEHRAN The Foreign Ministry said eight British sailors who had been detained for illegally entering Iranian waters were released Wednesday, defusing a dispute that had gone to high levels in both Tehran and London.
.
"The eight British sailors, including six soldiers and two ranking military officials, have been released," a ministry spokeswoman told The Associated Press.
.
The men were detained in the Shatt al Arab waterway on Monday as they were delivering a patrol boat for the new Iraqi Riverine Patrol Service. The waterway, which runs along the Iran-Iraq border, is known as the Arvand River in Iran.
.
A top Iranian military official had said the sailors were being released because their intrusion into Iran's waters apparently was a mistake. Two of the sailors had been shown on Iranian TV apologizing and acknowledging that they had made an error.
.
Iran previously said that the three boats were eight-tenths of a kilometer, or half a mile, inside its territorial waters and that the men would be prosecuted.
.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi of Iran had played a key role in resolving the minor border incident that was turning into a major diplomatic crisis. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of Britain phoned Kharrazi on Tuesday to ask for the release of the sailors.
.
British and Iraqi troops regularly patrol the narrow river, which is a popular route for smugglers and militants trying to enter Iraq. The river is strategically vital to both Iran and Iraq, and tension over its control was a chief factor in the 1980-88 war between the countries.
.
The incident came at a prickly time in the area. Last week, Britain, along with France and Germany, pushed through a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency that sharply criticized Iran for not cooperating with UN nuclear inspectors.
.
Zhand Shakibi, a political science professor specializing in the Middle East at the London School of Economics, said Iran could be sending a message about border control. It has been reported that the U.S. military has been sending spies into Iran to stir ethnic tensions, Shakibi said. (AP, NYT) "It could be signaling two things," Shakibi said. "'We are disappointed that London has supported the criticism of us on the nuclear issue.' And it could be a message saying: 'Stay away from the borders. We know what you've been up to.'" TEHRAN The Foreign Ministry said eight British sailors who had been detained for illegally entering Iranian waters were released Wednesday, defusing a dispute that had gone to high levels in both Tehran and London.
.
"The eight British sailors, including six soldiers and two ranking military officials, have been released," a ministry spokeswoman told The Associated Press.
.
The men were detained in the Shatt al Arab waterway on Monday as they were delivering a patrol boat for the new Iraqi Riverine Patrol Service. The waterway, which runs along the Iran-Iraq border, is known as the Arvand River in Iran.
.
A top Iranian military official had said the sailors were being released because their intrusion into Iran's waters apparently was a mistake. Two of the sailors had been shown on Iranian TV apologizing and acknowledging that they had made an error.
.
Iran previously said that the three boats were eight-tenths of a kilometer, or half a mile, inside its territorial waters and that the men would be prosecuted.
.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi of Iran had played a key role in resolving the minor border incident that was turning into a major diplomatic crisis. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of Britain phoned Kharrazi on Tuesday to ask for the release of the sailors.
.
British and Iraqi troops regularly patrol the narrow river, which is a popular route for smugglers and militants trying to enter Iraq. The river is strategically vital to both Iran and Iraq, and tension over its control was a chief factor in the 1980-88 war between the countries.
.
The incident came at a prickly time in the area. Last week, Britain, along with France and Germany, pushed through a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency that sharply criticized Iran for not cooperating with UN nuclear inspectors.
.
Zhand Shakibi, a political science professor specializing in the Middle East at the London School of Economics, said Iran could be sending a message about border control. It has been reported that the U.S. military has been sending spies into Iran to stir ethnic tensions, Shakibi said. (AP, NYT) "It could be signaling two things," Shakibi said. "'We are disappointed that London has supported the criticism of us on the nuclear issue.' And it could be a message saying: 'Stay away from the borders. We know what you've been up to.'"