Iran Focus: London, Mar. 27 Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari issued a statement on Monday on the capture of 15 British Navy and Marine personnel by Iranian Revolutionary Guards last week. The following is the full text of the statement:
Iraqi FM says British sailors outside Iranian waters on arrest
Browne pledge over seized sailors
Press Association: Britain is doing “everything possible” to secure the release of 15 service personnel seized by the Iranian authorities, Defence Secretary Des Browne has said.
India-Iran gas pipeline talks to go ahead
Reuters: India will go ahead with talks to buy natural gas from Iran via a multi-billion-dollar pipeline despite objections from the United States, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Monday.
Blair hopes diplomacy gets sailors back
AP: Britain hopes that diplomacy will win the release of 15 sailors and marines detained by Iran but is prepared to move to a “different phase” if not, Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday.
China, Russia leaders reject force on Iran, N.Korea
Reuters: Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian leader Vladimir Putin called on Monday for peaceful solutions to the crises over Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs and pledged to stop an arms race in space.
EU, Iran seek common ground on nukes
AP: A top European envoy on Monday renewed an offer from six world powers to talk with Tehran over its nuclear ambitions, and a senior Iranian negotiator agreed to stay in contact in an effort to find common ground.
British-made aircraft sold to Iran
Reuters: A British-made aircraft has been sold to Iran, the first new Western-made aircraft acquired by Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, an adviser to the deal said on Monday.
Tehran’s hostages
Wall Street Journal – REVIEW & OUTLOOK: Advocates of engagement with Tehran often claim that the Islamic Republic long ago shed its revolutionary pretensions in favor of becoming a “status quo” power. They might want to share that soothing wisdom with the families of the 15 British sailors and marines kidnapped Friday in Iraqi territorial waters by the naval forces of the elite, and aptly named, Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
U.K. ‘utterly confident’ Iran seized Britons from Iraqi waters
Bloomberg: The U.K. government said it was “utterly confident” that 15 members of its military were in Iraqi waters when they were seized by Iranian forces.
U.S. says Iran move on IAEA “disappointing”
Reuters: The White House accused Iran on Monday of turning a blind eye to its U.N. obligations by limiting nuclear cooperation but reiterated the United States has no intention of going to war with Iran.
