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Original poster

Iran to free sailors

31 replies

tortoiseSHELL · 04/04/2007 15:01

here

OP posts:
sassy · 04/04/2007 15:05

Good news. Their families will be desperately relieved.

Piffle · 04/04/2007 15:05

Glad they're free for their families sakes.
Ahmoudinejad is one funny guy
He ranges between completely lucid and humane to bonkers in minutes...
I'm quite prepared to believe they had crossed the border though...

oliveoil · 04/04/2007 15:09

absolutely would have been in their waters, probably spying

but that is beside the point, glad they have been freed

Eleusis · 04/04/2007 15:39

Yippee!!! Welcome home, troops!

Can't wait to hear their story.

CadburyCremeSquonk · 04/04/2007 17:29

glad they're coming home

Blandmum · 04/04/2007 17:31

olive oil, yes, they always go spying in navy boats in navy uniform in daylight. It lends them the secrecy they need to do their job.

Eleusis · 04/04/2007 17:33

MB

WelshBoris · 04/04/2007 17:33

No idea if they were in Iranian waters or not, but glad to see them on their way home.

littleEasterlapin · 04/04/2007 17:34

martianbishop good one. I refuse to get p1ssed off again with this crap.

Fantastic news.

MerryMarigold · 04/04/2007 17:36

i wonder if we will ever get the truth about where they were. i don't know WHO to believe...

Blandmum · 04/04/2007 17:41

Well, my money wouldn;t be on Ahmoudinejad. As he is, frankly, barking mad quite a lot of the time

twinsetandpearls · 04/04/2007 18:28

yes mb wasn't he supposed to have had an active part in capturing and holding american hostages in 79? He has form one could say!

twinsetandpearls · 04/04/2007 18:28

and that is before we get on to Israel.

edam · 04/04/2007 18:33

Thank heavens for that. Such a relief to have a peaceful conclusion. Fingers crossed it all goes OK tomorrow.

Pann · 04/04/2007 18:40

yes Ahmedinahjad was involved in 1979, and shot JR, AND the Pope, and pipped Cliff Richards in the Eurovision Song Contest....

whereas Bush/Blair are consistently sane....

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 04/04/2007 18:48

Thankk God. One is a friend of mine - has been a very worrying time.

twinsetandpearls · 04/04/2007 22:55

I wasn't saying that he was responsible for everything and dont get me started on bush I was just pointing out he had a murky past.

JanH · 04/04/2007 22:58

Excellent news!

(Surely the fact that the location for the boats given by the Iranians initially turned out to be still in Iraqi waters and had to be "adjusted" is proof enough that this was purely political?)

saltire · 05/04/2007 08:20

The main thing is they are on their way home. The rights or wrongs of were they or weren't they in Iranian waters is irrelevant now.
Some news channels were reporting that G W and his American cronies were calling the Blair Government "soft and weak" for going down the diplomatic route, well if being soft and weak means preventing another was, so be it.

SueBaroo · 05/04/2007 09:53

It's not neccessarily going to prevent another war, though. Some of the analysis I've read suggests that Iran were just testing the water (no pun intended) with the international communities resolve about the nuclear issue. I can't see that going anyway but pear-shaped pretty soon. Iran have just made us look a bit silly, really. But I am very pleased for the sailors and marines and their families.

Eleusis · 05/04/2007 10:05

I think Iran has only made themselves look foolish to the international audience. The did get some good Anti-West propoganda to their people. But, that's because they lied. I wonder how much their people really believe.

Nbg · 05/04/2007 10:06

Fantastic news but I hate the reason why they have freed them.

"A Gift to the UK"

Piffle · 05/04/2007 10:40

if it were not for real people being played with I'd be pissing myself laughing

This from sky...
I tell you Mr Ahmadinejad is on my people to have dinner with.

Sent Home With Souvenirs
Updated: 10:30, Thursday April 05, 2007

The British sailors and marines held captive in Iran are on their way home from Tehran - with sweets and souvenirs to remind them of their stay.

The 15 Navy personnel are expected to arrive at London's Heathrow airport at midday.

Before boarding BA flight 6634, the group received gift bags from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Inside were handicrafts, a vase and special sweets, according to reports in Iran.

From Heathrow the sailors will be flown to Royal Marines Base Chivenor, near Barnstaple in north Devon, where they will be reunited with their families.

foxinsocks · 05/04/2007 10:48

I'm glad they are freed.

Notice the West did not make much fanfare about releasing one of the Iranians captured in Iraq and allowing the Iranians access to the others (after they had previously denied them all access).

I imagine this was part of the deal.

BellaLasagne · 05/04/2007 10:55

I'm obviously pleased that they're free but can't help feeling that they've behaved terribly and there are many questions that need to be answered.

What will the world now think of our forces having now seen them smoking, smiling and generally behaving like 'Celebs' and generally acting so wet?

Why did they comply with their captors? We can only assume they were being threatened/cajoled into making these statements?

Why did they not refuse and take a stand and just give their name, rank and number?

Why did they allow themselves to be captured? Why did they not fight back? Is it because they knew they were 'lost'?

Why didn't they have air cover on that patrol?

I really, really hope they now don't do the round of chat shows etc. I can't imagine they'll be allowed to.