Bush: Capture Of Sailors "Inexcusable"

President Calls For Immediate Release Of Hostages; Britain Softens Stance

(CBS/AP)  President Bush said Iran's capture of 15 British sailors and marines was “inexcusable” and called for their immediate, unconditional release.

Mr. Bush said Saturday that Iran plucked the sailors out of Iraqi waters. Iran's president said they were in Iranian waters and called Britain and its allies “arrogant and selfish” for not apologizing for trespassing.

“Iran must give back the hostages,” President Bush said at the Camp David presidential retreat, where he was meeting with the president of Brazil. “They're innocent. They did nothing wrong.”

It was the first time that Mr. Bush had commented publicly on the captured Britons. Washington has taken a low-key approach to avoid aggravating tensions over the incident and shaking international resolve to get Iran to give up its uranium enrichment program.

Also Saturday, Iran's hardline president said Saturday that Britain and its allies were "arrogant and selfish" for not apologizing over what he called the incursion of 15 captured British sailors and marines into Iranian waters.

President Bush did not answer a question about whether the United States would have reacted militarily if those captured had been Americans. The president said he supports British Prime Minister Tony Blair's efforts to find a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, now in its second week.

The president would not comment about Britain's options if Iran does not release the hostages, but he seemed to reject any swapping of the British captives for Iranians detained in Iraq.

“I support the prime minister when he made it clear there were no quid pro quos,” Mr. Bush said.

Like President Bush's words, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments were his most extensive on the crisis. They tracked tough talk from other Iranian officials, an indication that Tehran's position could be hardening.

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

Britain, however, appeared to be easing its stance, emphasizing its desire to talk with Iran about what it termed a regrettable situation.

“I think everyone regrets that this position has arisen,” British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said at a European Union summit in Bremen, Germany. “What we want is a way out of it.”

Iran appeared unreceptive to possible talks with Britain.

“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 British sailors were detained by Iranian naval units March 23 while patrolling for smugglers near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab, a waterway that has long been a disputed dividing line between Iraq and Iran. Britain also insists the sailors were in Iraqi waters.

In London on Saturday, the political wing of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen Khalq said the capture was planned in advance and carried out in retaliation for U.N. sanctions over Iran's nuclear program. The group is listed as a terrorist group by Britain, the U.S. and the European Union.

"The British government and the Iranian government are now eyeball to eyeball and someone has to blink," said CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk. "The problem here is that both have hardened their positions."

Blair has expressed disgust that the captured service members had been “paraded and manipulated” in video footage released by Iran. He warned Tehran that it faced increasing isolation if it did not free them.

Britain has frozen most contacts with Iran. The U.N. Security Council has expressed “grave concern” about the incident. The EU has demanded the sailors' unconditional release and warned of unspecified “appropriate measures” if Tehran does not comply — a position the Iranian Foreign Ministry called “bias and meddlesome.”

Ahmad Bakhshayesh, a professor of politics in Tehran's Allameh University, said he's convinced that Iran is prepared to stand its ground and insist that the British violated Iranian territory.

“Iran will seriously continue the case and will put them on trial,” Bakhshayesh said. “Only an apology by Britain can stop it. Iran thinks that Britons trespassed to test Iran's reaction, and now London is trying to isolate Tehran instead of apologizing.”

But British officials are hopeful that diplomacy can resolve the crisis. The Foreign Office confirmed Saturday that Britain had replied to a letter received earlier in this week from the Iranian embassy. It declined to reveal the nature of either letter.

“We have been exchanging letters with the Iranian government, and we will continue to conduct or diplomatic discussions in private,” a spokesman said on the government's customary condition of anonymity.

[tbweb]

--RandalDS

It scares me to think your solution is to give a green light to Iran to continue its crimes because our only reply will be attempts at diplomacy that Iran will continue to ignore. China is up and coming but China is not there yet! If China wants to support a terrorist state because it needs its oil then that doesn't say much about China does it? Russia wants to oppose U.S. global power more than it wants to support Iran. If Russia is really true to its rhetoric then Russia can't really be happy with Iran holding 15 British hostages humiliating the British on TV, even Russia has its limits! The U.S. doesn't want to occupy Iran, just set Iran back a few decades, that's easy to do and by the time China and Russia complains it will be over! U.S. national interest are the priority.

[randalds]

The only option, literally the only one, is diplomacy. That is not going to happen as long as Bush is in office for two reasons, he sucks at it and secondly no one believes anything he says anymore. Not Americans and certainly not any foreign leaders. Besides they know they have nothing to fear from him because they know the American people won't back him up. The best we can hope to do know is to play a waiting game until we get an adult in the White House instead of stunted child we have there now.

[tbweb]

--RandalDS

No one wants war with Iran! But seriously, when does the U.S. say enough is enough from Iran? Iran took U.S. hostages and held them for over a year, the U.S. did nothing! Iran supplies sophisticated bomb materials to insurgents in Iraq killing Americans, the U.S. does nothing! It's a known fact these bomb materials come from Iran! Iran supports and finances Hezzbolla who fires hundreds of rockets into Israeli cities! Iran support Hamas terrorist activities! Iran cuurently has 15 British hostages and is humiliating the British on TV, nothing happens to Iran! Iran will not suspend its uranium enrichment dispite a unanimous U.N. vote and sanctions! Irans reply is they don't care about sanctions, they will continue with uranium enrichment! Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says there are no breaks or reverse gear on the uranium enrichment program. Irans national slogan is Death To America! Enough is enough don't you think?

[randalds]

Oh and there's one more very important reason why we could not win a war against Iran, the American people. The vast, vast majority of the American people would rise up in bloody protest if Bush is actually stupid enough to launch a war with Iran. Americans are sick of his phony cowboy ways and the murders he's committed in our name. There would be riots in the American cities so large and violent he'd have no choice but to pull the troops out of Iraq too, just to defend himself and his few remaining supporters from all out revolution to overthrow his government. It'd be a close competition between Congress and the American people to see who would take him down first. Going to war with Iran creates a very real possibility of warfare here at home too. The nation would turn on him in the most violent of ways.

[randalds]

It would be a huge mistake to underestimate the Iranian army the degree Russia and China would get involved. China gets 40% of it's imported oil from Iran and considering their booming economy they will not sit still for a serious interruption in that. Russia is a long time ally with Iran and could cayuse serious trouble in the area. Most of all what you fail to understand is that Bush does NOT want to hit Iran, he wants all out war with them. We WILL lose an all out ground war with Iran because we can't put nearly as many troops in the field as they can plus they'll be defending their own home, not a dictator most of them hate like in Iraq. Bush wants to win, not just fire on them and they only way to "win" an all out war with Iran would be to use battlefield size nuclear weapons. Millions would die and the whole world would turn against us. America can NOT stand against the entire world, no matter how much some would like to believe. The war in Iraq would be a kids game compared to a war with Iran.

[tbweb]

--RandalDS

Fact File:

Did you know Iran doesn't product its own gasoline? All Iranian gasoline is imported! Iran may sink the oil tankers but we can sink the gasoline returning to Iran! What happens if Iran doesn't receive it's imported gasoline? All the cars stop! The day Iran stood still! America knows how to attack and what to attack! Iran has plenty of weaknesses but we'll keep the rest a secret! Shhhh! Don't tell! LOL

[tbweb]

--RandalDS

The Iranians are are bunch of p*u*s*s*y*s!! Stop kissing their but*t! Iranian airspace is being invaded, why doesn't Iran send its planes up to protect it? Shoot down the American invaders, grab a few American hostages! What's the matter, the planes aren't British? Okay RandalDS, we can take the sissy way out and just bomb Irans only oil refinery, all that oil and only one refinery in the entire country! We bomb Irans only oil refinery and Iran comes to its knees, is that less destructive for you? Yep, bring em on, Iran needs it brought on and its long overdue!

[randalds]

IRAN claims U.S. Jets are violating its airspace and leaving plumes of smoke for IRANIANS to see to prove it! Okay IRAN, then take some U.S. hostages too and see what happens to you! Better yet send IRANIAN jets up to challenge the U.S. Airforce and see what happens to them! Teach those bad Americans a lesson! Show the invading Americans what the IRANIAN Airforce will do to them!! I dare you! LOL
Posted by tbweb at 11:43 PM : Apr 01, 2007

A new version of "Bring 'em on!"? What an incredibly stupid fu*cking thing to wish for, a war between the US an Iran. It would lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of human beings, many of them our troops. Iran is not going to roll over and play dead like Iraq did. They'll fight long and hard and will die rather then surrender. It'll be a slaughter of WWII proportions on all sides.

[tbweb]

IRAN claims U.S. Jets are violating its airspace and leaving plumes of smoke for IRANIANS to see to prove it! Okay IRAN, then take some U.S. hostages too and see what happens to you! Better yet send IRANIAN jets up to challenge the U.S. Airforce and see what happens to them! Teach those bad Americans a lesson! Show the invading Americans what the IRANIAN Airforce will do to them!! I dare you! LOL

[diplomacy3]

Wait they are holding British sailors. Mother nature is looking for Bin Laden 6 miles under ground in that remote region.