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Britain in the wrong

Had the wider military circumstances prevailing in the Persian Gulf not been so tense, the world might have been more receptive to Britain's claims that Iran has acted wrongly in detaining 15 British service personnel for violating its territorial waters. But the harsh reality is that Britain and the United States are in illegitimate military occupation of two of Iran's neighbours — Iraq and Afghanistan. Further, the Blair regime remains bound hand and foot to an American administration that has developed plans for the bombing or invasion of Iran and frequently reiterates its intention to resort to aggressive war as a means of solving the nuclear issue. Over the past year, Iran has repeatedly complained about naval and air intrusions by the two western powers. Terrorists based in Iraqi Kurdistan and Pakistani Baluchistan have also staged attacks across the border inside Iran. Under the circumstances, it is hardly surprising that Iranian patience should be wearing thin. A naval vessel that strays into one's territorial waters is usually let off with a warning; but when intrusions are frequent and form a provocative pattern, Iran was within its rights to detain the crew and seek assurances that there will be no further violations of the country's sovereignty in future.

With Tony Blair's credibility in tatters, there are few international buyers for his claim that the British soldiers were captured in Iraqi and not Iranian waters. Mr. Blair showed all the judgment of a schoolboy in rushing with his complaint to the United Nations Security Council, which in the event wisely confined itself to issuing a call for the early resolution of the problem. Objective verification of the precise spot on the Shatt-el-Arab waterway where the arrests took place might not be possible. But with the Iraqi coast guard authorities pointedly disputing the British claim, the international community is likely to believe Tehran rather than London on this issue. Instead of raking up a pointless controversy over why the Iranians released television footage of their British captives — one can only imagine the hysteria that would have been generated about their safety in the absence of such footage — Mr. Blair should get off his high horse. The just course, an apology to Iran, is too much to expect from those who have been engaged overtime in demonising the rulers of that country. But at the very least, Mr. Blair must quietly acknowledge the possibility of his country being in the wrong. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has acted wisely in pardoning the sailors for their intrusion and promising their release. He has also said Iran will be steadfast in defending its sovereignty. Mr. Blair would do well to heed this message.

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