"Routine Boarding Operation," Or A Covert Operation?

The British Ministry Stated Friday Afternoon, That:

1. The British personnel from the frigate HMS Cornwall were "engaged in routine boarding operations of merchant shipping in Iraqi territorial waters," and had completed their inspection of a merchant ship when they were accosted by Iranian vessels, the British ministry said Friday afternoon in a statement.

2. The Iranians said they had captured the sailors and marines because they were operating inside Iranian territorial waters. "The Royal Navy replied that they were well inside Iraqi territorial waters (and) that was the end of the conversation," Aandahl said.

Source: Associated Press Latest Update: 03.23.07, 19:46 / Israel News http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3380259,00.html

Back in June 22, 2004, "The Age," reported on a similar incident, where the Iranian Navy seized British patrol boats:

1. "This morning, three British boats with eight people on board entered Iranian territorial waters. The Iranian navy, in accordance with their duties, seized these boats and arrested the crew," spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said in a statement.

"They are currently being interrogated and an investigation is under way," he added. Official sources said the small patrol boats were armed with heavy machine-guns, and identified the detained Britons as Royal Navy commandos.

2. "Their last known indication was to be in the Shatt al-Arab area, which is not unusual," said the spokesman (British).

3. Playing it down as a "low-level incident", a Royal Navy spokesman at the defence ministry in London said the three small boats appeared to have "strayed into Iranian territory".

4. "These boats are used for training Iraqi river patrol service ... what we would call river police," said the spokesman, who was unable to specify if any Iraqis were on board.

5. "The waterway runs over a mile (1.6 km) wide. The border runs pretty much down the middle of it" ...

6. Iranian state television's Arabic-language channel, Al-Alam, said Iranian forces had also seized GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) devices, assault rifles, pistols, cameras and detailed maps of the Iran-Iraq border area.

7. The crew members were detained shortly before midday and had "confessed that they had made a mistake", Al-Alam said, adding it would show television footage of the British detainees later today.

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/...l?from=storylhs

Also, this from RIA Novosti, a Russian Paper (22/03/2007) reported that:

The Iranian navy is in the process of conducting large-scale naval Wargames.

Source:
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070322/62434533.html

Could the Brits have been sent to monitor, sabotage, or create an incident which would be blamed on the Iranians, that would then lead to a Western "retaliatory" strike against Iran?

Like in the Basra incident with the 2 SAS agent Provocateurs, who were captured with a car loaded with explosives and weaponry, here:

"British Undercover Operation in Basra: Agents Provocateurs?
(September 23, 2005)

Source:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?con...p;articleId=990

Or were those Brits sent to infiltrate Iran, in order to create death and mayhem?

As soon as the US/UK occupation forces appear at Irans Joint borders with Iraq, we start hearing about minority uprisings within Iran, instability, sabotage and car bombings, like here:

The Jerusalem Post, reported on February 14, 2007 that:

"Car-Bomb Kills 18 Revolutionary Guards"

Source:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1170359854084&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The Washington Post, reported on Sunday, March 25, 2007; Page A12, that:

The Cornwall's commander, Commodore Nick Lambert, said he hoped the detention was a "simple mistake" stemming from the unclear border.

But the Iraqi military commander of the country's territorial waters said the British boats may not have been in Iraqi territory.

"We were informed by Iraqi fishermen after they had returned from sea that there were British gunboats in an area that is out of Iraqi control," Brig. Gen. Hakim Jassim told AP Television News in the southern city of Basra.

"We don't know why they were there," he said.

The news agency Fars said navigational equipment on the seized British boats "show that they (sailors) were aware that they were operating in Iranian waters and Iranian border guards fulfilled their responsibility."

Source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/24/AR2007032400095_2.html

The Following Doesn't Make Sense:

1. If the Iranians decided to capture the Brits after they failed to secure their personnel who were abducted by the Americans, in Iraq, why not Just capture American troops in Iraq, instead?

Because:

A) It's the Americans who initiated these abductions. Why drag another power into the American's side, rather than attempting to drive a wedge between Britain and the US?

B) Capturing the Americans, via Iraqi local militias, would give the Iranians plausible deniability. Plus, that tactic worked so well during the Lebanese civil war, that no hostage rescues were successful at securing the release of any Westerners.

C) Why didn't the Brits have additional units covering them. Like the ship they embarked from, or close air observation and suport?

D) How could the Iranians pull this off, while the US alone, has at least 3 Aircraft Carrier Battle Groups, in the Persian Gulf?

E) Why not capture and detain the Western commandos who have infiltrated Iranian territory, to conduct intelligence, sabotage and arm/coordinate terrorist actions of local Iranian groups against their government?That way, they have an undisputed and legitimate claim in arresting the intruders?

F) The timing of this operation is highly suspicious, if not stupid:

1. It occurred right before the Iranian president was due to address the UN.
2. It occurred right before the UN vote on further sanctions that are to be imposed on Iran.

Why antagonise and alienate "neutral" nations, and give the US/UK additional ammunition to pressure the UN into tagging on extra sanctions?

* If the Brits are considered hostages, what do you consider the Iranians who were kidnapped in Iraq, or the the Iranian offical who was abducted and smuggled out of Turkey (some say he was kidnapped, others say he defected)?

* I wonder how the US/UK would react if the Iranians or others amassed an armada off their coast, infiltrated special forces into their territory, aided minorities in sabotage operations, and violated their airspcae by conducting reconaissance flights?