DAR AL HARB / ISLAM: WAR BETWEEN IRAN & THE WEST IS NOT REMOTELY INEVITABLE

Charade in Iran a timely warning
By Greg Sheridan

THE release of the 15 British naval hostages - 14 men and one woman - by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, defused a dangerously escalating international stand-off.

The British sailors had been on routine anti-smuggling inspections in Iraqi waters, on March 23, when they were seized by the Iranian navy.

The Iranians claimed the British were in Iranian waters.

This was a ludicrous claim which was never given any credence.

Although the sea border between Iran and Iraq is not formally recognised, there is a de facto border, which is accepted internationally.

The absurdity of the Iranian claim was evident when Tehran released a map showing where the incident had taken place - in Iraqi waters.

When this was pointed out to the Iranians, Tehran issued a new map, showing the incident occurring in their waters.

The Iranian action in taking the Brits hostage was illegal.

Even if the Brits had strayed into Iranian waters, they have a right of innocent passage and any normal person would simply tell them to withdraw.

But this was never about a naval misunderstanding.

We have witnessed some part of an intense and bitter struggle between Iran and the forces of international terrorism on one side, and Britain, the US and other coalition members in Iraq, including Australia, on the other side.

Indeed, there is an Australian naval vessel, the HMAS Toowoomba, doing exactly the same work in the same area, and the Australian sailors could be subject to the same Iranian terror tactics as the Brits were at any time.

One of the most gruesome aspects of the hostage drama was the way the Iranians forced the British woman into Islamic dress, and further forced her and some of the men to make flesh-creeping, false confessions, which they televised.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair was adamant that no deal had been done with the Iranians in exchange for the release of the British.

I am an admirer of Blair, but I just don't believe him on this.

An Iranian diplomat in Iraq, who had been kidnapped by shadowy Iraqi figures, was released during the hostage drama.

And I would guess that five other Iranian officials, taken into coalition custody in northern Iraq, may soon be heading home.

There is no doubt that Iran is the world's biggest state sponsor of terrorism.

The Americans and the British have also charged Iran with directly supporting terrorism in Iraq.

This has taken the form of sending Iranian agents into Iraq, sending weapons and funding insurgents.

And there is no moral equivalence between Iranian terrorists in Iraq and British sailors in Iraqi waters, at the invitation of the Iraqi Government, in pursuit of a UN mandate.

The Iranian Government is fanatical and dangerous. Iran's president says he wants Israel wiped off the map.

The Iranian regime is perhaps also pursuing nuclear weapons.

War between Iran and the West is not remotely inevitable.

...


Pertinent Links:

1) Charade in Iran a timely warning