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Persian Pirates
IBD Editorials ^ | 26 Mar 2007 | Editorial staff

Posted on 03/26/2007 7:14:42 PM PDT by Kitten Festival

Axis Of Evil: While 15 members of the British Royal Navy and Marines are held captive by the Islamic Republic of Iran, Europe plays it soft, providing yet another disheartening lesson in how not to react to terrorism.

The Brits were kidnapped Friday by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy, a seagoing force that has little respect for maritime law and tends to be more savage than Iran's regular navy. The sailors and marines had just completed a routine inspection of a merchant ship in the Persian Gulf when Iranian gunboats surrounded them in Iraqi waters.

Public reaction in Britain has been lukewarm.

(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: hostages; iran; muhammadsminions; nukeem; piracy; uk
Iran better wise up. And so better Britain. They need to win this, more than they know.
1 posted on 03/26/2007 7:14:43 PM PDT by Kitten Festival
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To: Kitten Festival

Blair sounded like a nuetered mannequin today. Where are todays George Washingtons??


2 posted on 03/26/2007 7:16:49 PM PDT by samadams2000 (Someone important make......The Call!)
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To: samadams2000
Ah, how about Maggie Thatcher ?
She'd know what to do.
3 posted on 03/26/2007 7:21:25 PM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (BTUs are my Beat.)
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

Today's politicians are metropols.


4 posted on 03/26/2007 7:29:20 PM PDT by The_Media_never_lie
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To: samadams2000
Blair sounded like a nuetered mannequin today. Where are todays George Washingtons??

That's scary. How much longer until the Brits are paying tribute?

5 posted on 03/26/2007 7:30:35 PM PDT by The_Media_never_lie
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

WWMD?


6 posted on 03/26/2007 8:03:04 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie (McCain / Feingold - 2008 ... "Shut Up or Go To Prison")
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To: Kitten Festival

The reason that Britain isn't aggressively pursuing this yet is that it is not clear whose waters they were in.

"The seizure of the British vessels, a pair of rigid inflatable boats known as RIBs, took place in long-disputed waters just outside of the mouth of the Shatt Al-Arab waterway that divides Iraq from Iran. A 1975 treaty recognized the middle of the waterway as the border. Saddam Hussein canceled the treaty five years later and invaded Iran, triggering an eight-year war. Iran disputes Iraq's jurisdiction over the waters near the mouth of the Shatt Al-Arab."

While this may provide the pretext needed to go into Iran, Britain probably wants to wait and see how the US will back them. Without congressional approval Bush may be reluctant to help.


7 posted on 03/26/2007 8:51:25 PM PDT by amchugh (large and largely disgruntled)
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To: amchugh

Times sure have changed since the War of Jenkins Ear. And for the record, who cares what Iran's position is?


8 posted on 03/26/2007 9:13:37 PM PDT by PzLdr ("The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am" - Darth Vader)
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To: Kitten Festival
Sounds like the Lincoln Park Pirates...

Way, hay, tow them away,
the persian boat pirates are we...

9 posted on 03/26/2007 9:26:53 PM PDT by Nachum
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To: PzLdr
Thanks for the War of Jenkin's Ear link.

No one should care what Iran's position is, but I'll bet you people inexplicably will if there is some obscure point of contention to wrangle over.

10 posted on 03/26/2007 10:34:18 PM PDT by amchugh (large and largely disgruntled)
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