More British lies

The stand-off between Great Britain and Iran over the capture of 15 British sailors is heating up and could still provide the excuse for the U.S. and the U.K. to launch an attack on Iran. London is further spinning the facts.

Considering the history of aggression and meddling in Iran's affairs, Britain would be advised to stay as far away as possible from Iran's borders (The Guardian: A bitter legacy).

Instead, its sailors fished in disputed waters. The sea border between Iraq and Iran is still disputed between both countries. A British map showing a boundary is insufficient evidence to show that the sailors were captured in Iraqi waters. Former U.K. ambassador Craig Murray calls the boundary published by the British “a fake with no legal force”. And he rightly asks: [the sailors] “were looking for smuggled vehicles attempting to evade car duty. What has the evasion of Iranian or Iraqi taxes got to do with the Royal Navy?” (Counterpunch website: A memo on Iran – Brinkmanship in Uncharted Waters)

Exactly what boat did the British board? An Arabian dhow or a cargo vessel? The British showed GPS-coordinates from a helicopter flying over a cargo vessel, while Iranian TV showed the capture of the British sailors after they boarded an Arabian dhow. The cargo vessel on the other hand may have moved between the alleged boarding and the taking of the coordinates. Therefore, Britain has proved nothing at all. And according to Iran, the British entered Iranian waters up to six times.

The British government calls the videos broadcast on TV “cruel, callous, inhuman and unacceptable”. How can a mere video be all that compared to the aggression and war crimes Britain has committed in Iraq and is prepared to commit against Iran? Sure, the 15 will be under pressure, as every captive would be, but all available evidence shows they have been well treated. Compare this to the shackled prisoners of Guantanamo Bay, paraded on TV in orange boiler suits and routinely tortured.

Chancellor Gordon Brown is saying that a “U.N. resolution” is calling for the release of the sailors. There is no such thing at all. There is a verbal statement from the U.N. (in diplo jargon much less weighty than a resolution) expressing grave concern, but refusing to state that Iran was at fault or to “deplore” its actions.

The European Union called for solidarity with Britain. Why should European countries show solidarity with an aggressor and lackey of the U.S. Empire? If Britain would behave as a responsible country, maybe we could show some solidarity next time. While raising a hue and cry about the capture of the 15 British sailors, the prime ministers of E.U. member countries still hold friendly meetings with war criminal Blair. Instead of putting pressure on Iran, it is Britain which should be subject to pressure to stop its aggression or be suspended from membership in the European Union.