The botched US raid that led to the hostage crisis

[mudesi]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2414760.ece

Surprise! Somebody inform Mr. O'Reilly that the retired colonel was on the money and that, indeed, the U.S. may be to blame. Those who deride Iran's actions have zero moral high ground, assuming that this is a credible story from the UK's "The Independent".

A failed American attempt to abduct two senior Iranian security officers on an official visit to northern Iraq was the starting pistol for a crisis that 10 weeks later led to Iranians seizing 15 British sailors and Marines.

Early on the morning of 11 January, helicopter-born US forces launched a surprise raid on a long-established Iranian liaison office in the city of Arbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. They captured five relatively junior Iranian officials whom the US accuses of being intelligence agents and still holds.

In reality the US attack had a far more ambitious objective, The Independent has learned. The aim of the raid, launched without informing the Kurdish authorities, was to seize two men at the very heart of the Iranian security establishment.

Read it all.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2414760.ece

[JohnyCanuck]

1. Wonder if the Iranians are using this

to try and drive a wedge between the Poodle and his master.

Maybe they're saying to the UK, get our captives held by the Yanks released and we'll let your people go, but when Tony the Poodle goes to Dubya and explains the quid pro quo proposed by Iran, Dubya will likely just tell him to piss up a rope as far as the US releasing the Iranian captives. This in turn could easily lead to even more Brits wondering, just what the hell is the real benefit in being Bush's numero uno joe boy, coalition partner and ass kisser.

[jobycom]

2. They may not see much difference between the Yanks and the Brits.

Britain and the US have been tag-teaming Iran for a century now, and teamed up to overthrow Prime Minister Mossadegh in 1953. They've watched as the US and Britain invaded Iraq, resulting in the slaughter, imprisonment, and/or torture of countless hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Even now Bush and Blair seem to be against the Shi'a more than the Sunni. To the Iranians, the two nations are probably about the same.

[mudesi]

4. Nothing happens in a vacuum

This is what I've been trying to say numerous times when threads criticizing Iran inevitably pop up. Iran's actions are simply the actions that are in its best interests, given the current global climate surrounding them. It is a giant chess game and they cannot afford to make the wrong move. Trying to gain the moral high ground makes one hypocritical and deluded.

[gatorboy]

3. Hmmmm. I wonder if they're gonna have an old fashion Prisoner Exchange.

eom

[Jacobin]

5. why yes, I believe you are correct!

But the fact that the Iranians release their hostages and the U.S. will release its hostages will be completely coincidental!!