UK Crew Tells Of Pressure By Iran

Back In London, British Sailors Insist They Never Strayed Into Iranian Waters

(CBS/AP)  British sailors and marines held for nearly two weeks in Iran were blindfolded, bound and threatened with prison if they did not say they had strayed into Iranian waters, a Royal Navy lieutenant who was among the captives said Friday.

Lt. Felix Carman, safely home with his 14 colleagues, said the crew faced harsh interrogation by their Iranian captors and slept in stone cells on piles of blankets. Unable to see and kept isolated, they heard weapons cocking.

"We were blindfolded, our hands were bound and we were forced up against a wall. Throughout our ordeal we faced constant psychological pressure," Carman said. "All of us were kept in isolation. We were interrogated most nights and presented with two options. If we admitted that we'd strayed, we'd be on a plane to (Britain) pretty soon. If we didn't, we faced up to seven years in prison."

Within hours of the news conference, Iranian state television said the British military had "dictated" to its sailors what to say.

Royal Marine Capt. Chris Air said the crew of 15, which was out on a routine operation on March 23, was confronted by members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

"They rammed our boats, and trained their heavy machine guns, RPGs, and weapons on us. Another six boats were closing in on us," Air said. "We realized that had we resisted there would have been a major fight, one we could not have won, with consequences that would have major strategic impacts. We made a conscious decision not to engage the Iranians."

Iran insists the British strayed into its territory; the sailors and the British government deny the accusation and maintain they were in Iraqi waters.

Britain's top naval officer said boarding operations would be suspended while a review is conducted.

"Coalition operations continue under U.K. command," said Adm. Jonathon Band, head of the Royal Navy. "Currently, our (operations) have been suspended while we do that review."

A White House spokesman said Friday that Iran's reported mistreatment of the British sailors and marines was "unfortunate and extremely disappointing," CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports.

The spokesman said it was unfortunate that the Iranians ever detained these sailors to begin with, considering they were operating under a U.N. mandate in Iraqi waters. He said the White House is again calling on Iran to comply with U.N. resolutions demanding an end to its uranium enrichment program.

The most visible of the seized sailors and marines was Leading Seaman Faye Turney, a 26-year-old mother of one. Her letters home received widespread publicity in Britain, particularly one in which she requested the British government withdraw from Iraq.

Air said she was singled out for propaganda purposes, held in solitary confinement and told the others had gone home.

"Being an Islamic country, Faye was subjected to different rules than we were. She was separated as soon as she arrived, and was told that her colleagues had been flown home," Air said. "She coped admirably and has maintained a lot of dignity."

While much of the country rallied behind the crew's return, others criticized them for offering apologies where none was required — namely for appearing in videos in which they admitted and offered regrets for entering Iranian waters.

The servicemen said they had tried to be vague about whether they had strayed into Iranian waters in statements they made during captivity.

"We were very careful about what we said and what we didn't say," Air told The Associated Press. He said the Iranian captors were humane, but said there were a "few incidents when our safety was at risk."

It's not possible to know everything the sailors and marines said to their captors but at least some statements avoided saying definitely they were in Iran's waters.

For example, in one of the letters made public from Turney, she said she had "apparently gone into Iranian waters." In a video clip from Iranian TV, Air said "we were seized apparently at this point here on their maps and on the GPS they've shown us, which is inside Iranian territorial waters."

Carman had been pictured on Iranian television saying he "understood" why Iran was angry the crew had strayed into their waters. At Friday's news conference, he said the crew was nearly two nautical miles from Iran's territory — and that they had never apologized.

"Let me make this clear — irrespective of what was said in the past — when we were detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard we were inside internationally recognized Iraqi territorial waters," he said. "At no time did we actually say were sorry for straying into Iranian waters."

In its news report on the sailors, Iranian state TV accusing Britain of dictating statements to the crew, saying "the British sailors only read from pages dictated to them."

Air and Carmen were among six of the crew members who chose to speak publicly Friday.

Band told British Broadcasting Corp. radio that the crew had "acted with considerable dignity and a lot of courage."

"They appear to have played it by the rules, they don't appear to have put themselves into danger, others into danger, they don't appear to have given anything away," he said. "I think, in the end, they were a credit to us."

Britain insisted the crew was on a routine operation when seized, but Sky News reported Thursday that Air said in an interview days before his capture that his crew was gathering intelligence on Iran during their patrols. Sky said it held the interview because it thought it could hamper the crew's release.

Defense ministry officials denied the sailors and marines had an intelligence role, but said they routinely spoke to commanders of vessels using the Persian Gulf and Shatt Al-Arab waterway to determine who was using shipping routes.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Wednesday that the Britons would be released — a breakthrough in a crisis that had raised oil prices and escalated fears of military conflict in the volatile region. The move suggested Iran's hard-line leadership had decided it had shown its strength but did not want to push the standoff too far.

But Iran did not get the main thing it sought — a public apology for entering Iranian waters. Britain insists it never offered a deal, instead relying on quiet and sometimes silent diplomacy.

[nyteryder2]

"please ignore the moronic anti-British comments by the usual gang of arm-chair warriors. Unfortunately we get a good crop of prize a$$holes here in America, who risk nothing and criticize everything." Posted by gkc99

Just what was your "risk" in defending the U.S. Constitution and the right to freedom of speech? Just how many years of your life did you sacrifice in "service to your country?"

[radiob-2009]

Americans offered 'aggressive patrols' in Iranian airspace



http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2051971,00.html

[radiob-2009]

FBI agents downplayed evidence of burgeoning cooperation between a domestic white supremacist group and an Islamic terrorist.



http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/04/did_the_fbi_flu.html

[gkc99]

Bradosol,
please ignore the moronic anti-British comments by the usual gang of arm-chair warriors. Unfortunately we get a good crop of prize a$$holes here in America, who risk nothing and criticize everything. We got the "nuke Iran" crowd who drool at the thought of all those little kids with their burned skin coming off in sheets. We got the Jew-hating *** who trot out the century-old lies. We got the real brave types who *** about the conduct of others in situations they themselves would never be in for a million bucks, or else they'd be crying mama. In short, we got a lot of dumbfuk cowards and mental retards. But we got more that aren't. It's just that the jerkoffs appear with high frequency on these blogs.

[zootallures2]

Simple explainations:

"We were blindfolded, our hands were bound and we were forced up against a wall."
-Speaking and sharing a boat with a women none of them were married to.

"All of us were kept in isolation."
-Did they eat onions before capture?

[bradosol]

As a British admirer of the USA, I'm saddened by some of the anti-British comments on this website. Referring to the Iranian incident, I'd recommend some of your correspondents listen to Andy McNab, the SAS patrol leader behind enemy lines in the first Gulf War, who was captured, tortured and escaped. He was a great soldier, and his advice is, without helping the enemy militarily ,to do and say what is needed to survive and get medical attention for you and your comrades.

[bradosol]

As a British admirer of the USA, I'm saddened by some of the anti-British comments on this website. Referring to the Iranian incident, I'd recommend some of your correspondents listen to Andy McNab, the SAS patrol leader behind enemy lines in the first Gulf War, who was captured, tortured and escaped. He was a great soldier, and his advice is, without helping the enemy militarily ,to do and say what is needed to survive and get medical attention for you and your comrades.

[radiob-2009]

From the BBC

The BBC's Frances Harrison, in Tehran, said Iran feels the press conference revelations were the result of sailors "being briefed" by the UK government who "dictated to them [the sailors]".

She pointed out that Iran said it was "standard procedure" for military personnel who intruded into Iran to be held in isolation, and said they compared their captivity to the way people are held at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6534335.stm

[searingtruth]

"During the Abu Grahib "controversy", there was a weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth by the ususal NeoCommie posters on CBSnews.com and MoveOn.org....And oh yes. let's not forget worthless Amnesty International

BUT, now that one of Americas enemies has done something wrong!!!

Where's Amnesty International ?? Where are the left-wing posters on this site??

(Insert sounds of chirping crickets here)

..."


Ummm ... there's a post against all violations of International law, by any country, right before yours.

I guess you missed it.
ST


"It is time to stop appeasing the dictatorship of George W. Bush and his henchmen."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[nyteryder2]

(Insert sounds of chirping crickets here) ... Posted by processor2

processor is another poster with points so weak that he has to repeat the same post over and over and over and over...

[processor2]

During the Abu Grahib "controversy", there was a weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth by the ususal NeoCommie posters on CBSnews.com and MoveOn.org....And oh yes. let's not forget worthless Amnesty International

BUT, now that one of Americas enemies has done something wrong!!!

Where's Amnesty International ?? Where are the left-wing posters on this site??

(Insert sounds of chirping crickets here)

...

[searingtruth]

If you illegally abduct people and hold them in secret prisons without legitimate charge or representation, deny them access to the outside world, and subject them to intimidation or torture, they will say or do anything.

Iran has clearly shown the world how easy it is, and how quickly it works, following America and the UK's example.

In fact, Iran only used a small subset of the inhumane techniques we have used everyday for the last six years against thousands illegally incarcerated. They evidently didn't even have to waterboard their prisoners, force them to watch the executions of others, or hold them for years, as we have done.
ST


"He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself."
Thomas Paine, Dissertation on First Principles of Government, December 23, 1791

"We have become the evil we fought."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[nearl4511]

One wonders what these sailors would have confesed to if they had been waterboarded for 4 or 5 years or so.

[grazinggoat]

Picture 4 shows the evident lack of ties in Iran. Would someone have guts to go and sell ties there, he'd be millionaire (not to say billionaire). Is it humnility or is it lack of ties due to economic embargo on Iran ;?)

Any volunteers? Haliburton, PinkWater...?

[torocaca]

"The United States pledges that it is and from now on will be the policy of the United States not to intervene, directly or indirectly, politically or militarily, in Iran's internal affairs." Algiers Accords of January 19, 1981.

This is why we can not do anything in, or to, Iran, unless of course, they attack us. They have almost total immunity from U.S. action.

This is why the Iranians were bold enough to capture British sailors. Had they taken U.S. citizens they would have been in a world of ***** (or pork!), take your pick.

[grazinggoat]

Same as Zionists are currently promoting their hysterical "HE'S A MADMAN WITH A NUKE!!!" propaganda in reference to Ahmadinejab.

Which I ignore. Only a moron believes those lies after all the lies Zionists told about Iraq. And, I am not going to waste my time debating with a moron.
Posted by tuckerndfw at 06:02 PM

-Actually those two sides of a sh*t-dipped stick are as sour as it can be. One says (the Zionists) I wnat to have access to your natural resources or a free passage to the Natural resources. The Native (Iranians) says: no fricking way. You pay or I paint you as a bad, dmaned fellow.

If one understands well, slurring at each others means always they're defining positions of negotiation. When Ahmedinejad says he wants to wipe out Israel, he means You got to pay helll big time, if you want to exist and expand. If you want to access the resuorces, well it's another story, it may cost you an arm and a leg.

Zionists, with their legendary generosity, respond by ranting, and slurring even more. They start drumming for the war, painting hte Iranian Regime as a fascist, corrupt, anti-democratic, and they hit his little brother in South-Lebanon (Hezbollah), who defends himself as good as he can... And we know the rest of the story.

So *** in office, can you read between the lines? Or are you not as intelligent. Maybe you just don't wannoo. War is always profitable, and the American grazing-goats are too sheep for opposing your decisions...

[stanmc5]

I agree, I was in the USMC for 12 years and had the good fortune to train alongside the British Marines.

They are regarded as an elite commando unit and their basic training is 32 weeks compared to 12 of a US marine. Thats why they decimated the Argentine forces even being outnumbered 3:1 in battle and attacking defensive positions. When they lost their helicopter transport in the Falklands war they walked 56 miles carrying 80lbs of gear before going into battle. Lets show some respect.

[fr45444]

Sure the Brits are so weak. Why dont you go to YouTube and see the Royal Marines and British Parachute regiment in action. See how real men act under fire and not the false bravado on news blogs.

[down-ndirty]

"Who believes in such crafty people called British?!" Posted by breceivemail

I don't, but I may change my mind if you keep posting the same comment multiple time.

Besides, there's nothing "crafty" about the British. They're just a bunch of "weak t i t s;" always have been; always will be.

[down-ndirty]

"Non-Zionists typically cannot be elected to any political office in the US. The primary qualification for holding US public office appears to be, "Do you support Israel?" to the exclusion of any other qualification. There are rare exceptions." Posted by tuckerndfw

Your entire post was excellent, tucker.

What's ironic about the christian zionists is that, unlike Islam, Judaism does not acknowledge Christ at all.