U.N. Calls On Iran To Free Britons

(CBS/AP)  The U.N. Security Council expressed "grave concern" Thursday over the capture of 15 British sailors and marines and called for an early resolution of the problem, including their release.

Britain failed to win support for a stronger statement deploring weeklong Iran's detention of the Britons and calling for their immediate freedom, primarily because of Russian opposition.

Britain sought Security Council help as Iran rolled back on its promise to release Faye Turney, the sole woman among the captives, and a senior Iranian official suggested all 15 Britons might be put on trial.

Instead of freeing Turney as promised, Iran released another letter from her admitting the British sailors violated Iranian territorial waters, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

According to U.S. intelligence, there is chaos in Tehran over what to do with the hostages. But for now they are under control of the Revolutionary Guard, and that is bad news.

"These people are so hard-line I think it doesn't even merit the word 'hard-line," said Simon Henderson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "They're way beyond that."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to allow a Turkish diplomat to meet with the British captives and also urged the release of Turney, Iranian state television reported.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett condemned Iran's use of Turney for what she called "propaganda purposes," calling it "outrageous and cruel."

The standoff and broader tensions in the Persian Gulf region helped fuel a spike in world oil prices.

Also Thursday, Iranian TV broadcast about five seconds of video it says was of the operation that seized the British sailors and marines. In the video, a helicopter is shown hovering above inflatable boats in choppy seas. Then, the British seamen and marines appear seated in an Iranian boat.

The video showed a coast guard officer identified only as Col. Setareh, who displayed a GPS device purported to belong to the British crew. He said it proved the British had "violated Iranian waters" several times before they were detained.

The British draft language sent to the Security Council was in the form of a press statement. The text circulated to the 14 other council members said: "Members of the Security Council deplore the continuing detention by the government of Iran of 15 (United Kingdom) naval personnel."

It added that the British crew was "operating in Iraqi waters as part of the Multinational Force-Iraq under a mandate from the Security Council under resolution 1723 and at the request of the government of Iraq" and it called for their "immediate release."

A press statement is the weakest action the Security Council can take, but must be approved by all council members.

The council diplomats said informal discussion of the British proposal indicated the issue of where the incident took place raised problems for some council members, including Russia. Some members also want to hear the Iranian side, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private.

Britain said its sailors and marines were seized Friday after completing a search of a civilian ship near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which forms the border between Iran and Iraq. Iran says the Britons were inside its territorial waters.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said Britain would not negotiate for the captives.

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[gdod25]

Bush and Blair want war with Iran but due to lack of voter support need to antagonize Iran into a 'justifiable' scurmish. You brown shirts supporting Bush went to Publik Skools didnt you!

[henry6543]

So what if what you claim is true. The Iranians were well aware of what the British were doing. Why would they take such extreme measures in such a dramatic fashion. Could they not have approached the Brits in the water and warned them that if they were caught there again, they would be captured or even shot at.
No such tact on the part of the Iranians. All this has done is put the British Navy on alert and if Iran tries anything again they will be blown out of the water and a worse crisis will erupt.

Iran is pathetic, its government is pathetic, and its methods are pathetic. I have more respect for African Bushmen. They are way more diplomatic and honest.

[DumbMacUser1]

I noticed the borders that UK is showing for Iran/Iraq are fake - after looking at Iranian news, my suspicions came out to be quite true. The british are deliberately re-drawing the Iran-Iraq border on their own maps and they are convinced that the Arabs will support them in this because after all the borders are to the benifit of the arabs at the expense of Iranian territory. Story below:

http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-20/0703298425171510.htm

[DumbMacUser1]

I noticed the borders that UK is showing for Iran/Iraq are fake - after looking at Iranian news, my suspicions came out to be quite true. The british are deliberately re-drawing the Iran-Iraq border on their own maps and they are convinced that the Arabs will support them in this because after all the borders are to the benifit of the arabs at the expense of Iranian territory. Story below:

http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-20/0703298425171510.htm

[DumbMacUser1]

Iranian news - slanted but at least it's free of western Jewrnalism: http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-20
/0703298425171510.htm

[henry6543]

Maybe it's because the UN wouldn't move its HQ to Mecca.

[henry6543]

Does anyone have any info on why AHMADINEJAD was not at the UN last week?

[henry6543]

Thanks for the response, tbweb I almost gave up hope.

I think that without Russia and China and the extremist muslims' support, Iran would be less emboldened.

But the real reason has more to do with desperation.

The Iranian people will think their govt is stronger after they capture Brits.

This takes their minds off the increasing day-to-day problems that aren't being helped by increasing sanctions and the threat of only more sanctions down the road.

This takes the focus off Iranian govt's inadequacies and shows that they have no fear of the west.

Gets a lot of media attention for them so they all feel like Islam is getting the attention it deserves.

Makes the west look weak.

Causes division in the UN.

[tuckerndfw]

If the intention is to secure the release of the "detainees," the UK will have to use ground forces.

Bombs and missiles are not particularly effective when it comes to "detainee" rescues.

I wonder how many Brits are at the recruiting offices signing up for the military so they can help rescue the "detainees"?

[tuckerndfw]

Iran is demonstrating the "Bush doctrine."

The "Bush doctrine" states that any nation (or anyone) can ignore the law if the law prevents him from doing whatever he wants.

It appears that Blair no longer supports the "Bush doctrine."

If the "Bush doctrine" is a (legally) valid doctrine, why hasn't the UK invaded Iran?

Why bother whining about "meaningless UN resolutions"?