[Link: news.bbc.co.uk]

I hope it isnt used as the excuse to go in and have a go at iran now

In June 2004, six British marines and two navy sailors were detained for three days in Iran after a routine operation. They were paraded blindfold on television and forced to apologise for their "mistake".

On that occasion Iran insisted that the boats - which it has not yet returned - were intercepted only after they entered Iranian waters on the Shatt al-Arab that divides Iraq from Iran.

For me this time is far more of a stepping over the line than the nuke problem..they have actually (rather than possibly)been agressive they have taken our soldiers at gun point, if this isnt a show of aggression i dont know what is.
This is far more a reason to go in than WMD was in Iraq (which we didn't find).
Iran is supplying the road bomb infra red hi tech weapons to iraqi insurgents which kill allied troops on a daily basis these are far more reasons to retaliate than normally the US government would need but it seems the politcal tide in the US has turned and they are not keen on going in this time ...the Iraqi government knows it and are prodding the bear with a stick ...they best not keep prodding though or the bear might just turn and bite there ass.
I pray it doesnt come to this too many have died already and i hope this all blows over .
I hope our captured soldiers come back safe too.
my thoughts are for them and there families who must be going through hell at the moment.

I wonder what bad news the Iranian government is trying to bury?

well we have been denied access at the moment to our guys.forced to confess and moved about blindfolded sounds very civil of them. They really are pushing it IMHO.

Then on re-evaluation, I wonder what bad news Blair and his boys are trying to bury. Kansas City Shuffle anyone?


If what they say were true, it does rather beg the question of what an Iraqi vessel was doing in Iranian waters?


Guilty conscience for committing an act of piracy and abduction?


Oh very much so. Considering the depth of the do-do they're already in, it's possible they've be taken as pawns in a game against a likely Israeli attack on their infamous nuclear facility.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett will shorten a visit to Turkey to fly home to help manage the crisis.

Oh good, they've got nothing to worry about then.

[Link: news.bbc.co.uk]

Thatcher would have nuked em by now.

it gets something when even the French are showing support even though it is Just outside the gulf

The US navy has begun its largest demonstration of force in the Gulf since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The exercises, just off the coast of Iran, involve more than 10,000 US personnel.

Kevin Aandahl, a US navy commander, declined to say when plans for the exercises had been drawn up.

The manoeuvres bring together two strike groups of US warships and more than 100 aircraft to conduct simulated air warfare in and above the crowded Gulf shipping lanes.

Joint exercise

Military exercises involve the USS John C Stennis and the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, marking the first time that the two strike groups have operated in a joint exercise under the Fifth Fleet, the navy said.

"Two air wings from the aircraft carriers will conduct air warfare exercises while the surface components will conduct exercises in three general disciplines: anti-submarine, anti-surface and mine warfare," it said.

The Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain, an island state that lies across the Gulf from Iran.

Sailors' arrest

The US exercises come after Iran's capture last week of 15 British sailors and marines who Tehran claims had strayed into Iranian waters near the Gulf.

Britain and the US navy have insisted the British sailors were operating in Iraqi waters.

Aandahl said the US manoeuvres were not meant to threaten the Islamic Republic, whose navy operates in the same waters.

Aandahl said the US warships would stay out of Iranian territorial waters, which extend 12 miles off the Iranian coast.

French presence

A French naval strike group, led by the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, is operating simultaneously just outside the Gulf.

But the French ships are supporting the Nato forces in Afghanistan and not taking part in the American manoeuvres, officials said.

Overall, the exercises involve more than 10,000 US personnel on warships and aircraft making simulated attacks on enemy shipping with aircraft and ships, hunting enemy submarines and finding mines.

Don't get me started!!

I am a very careing person. I've gone out of my way to help those in need. Katrina most recently.
The next devistating storm? I'll be there to help.

You want to talk about the f**kheads in the middle east?
Be thankful that Bush is in power instead of me!

You don't like him?
You would like me even less when faced with dealing with a bunch of idiots that are so barbaric that the only way to deal with them is drop to their own way of thinking (wich is politically incorrect).

Why do you think the war against Iraq has lasted so long???

It's because WE are trying to play nice! Is there a 'nice' war???

I'm also religious (suprise!) but I'm fed up with the mid-east AND their bullsh*t!!

Is your goal in life to die??........Well, let me help you out!!!

I'm not for a nuke attack. I am for an 'unpopulated' mid-east! Might as well take out North Korea as well.
Screw politics,

Nobody likes us anyway. Might as well REALLY piss them off by getting rid of ALL of the IDIOTS.

Rant over.
You hit a sore spot, I'll relax now........

another one of our guys on telly "admitting trespass" nice prompting off screen too.
They know our navy is as big as the dutch and we are no threat.The UN are a bunch of fence sitting tossers who should have put way more pressure on Iran.They are acting like a school dinner lady "now stop arguing and sort it out nicely between yourselves!"

On another note i saw a documentary about shai muslims (most Iranians are shai muslims) and that a holy city to the shai muslims (Karbala) is in Iraq and that most of the kicking off is about the issue of this city. when iraq fought iran it was about capturing this city apparently (i didnt know before watching this documentary). seems no mater what we do or the iraqis do karbala is always going to be in the middle of iraq ,it isnt like its on the border its deep into Iraq. After the allied forces have long left this is still going to be a major issue.