The Guardian: Although British and US military and diplomats often complain of Iranian support for insurgents in Iraq, there is no “smoking gun” to prove it, a senior British officer in Basra admitted yesterday.
US and UK fail to find smoking gun
Leading article: A perilous stand-off in the Gulf that is rooted in the calamitous Iraq war
The Independent: Yesterday’s capture of 15 British sailors and marines by Iranian forces precipitates a diplomatic crisis of the first order. The first visible effect yesterday was a sharp rise in the price of crude oil. A less visible effect was an even sharper rise in the international political temperature. The situation is now fraught with danger: for bilateral relations, for regional security – and for Tony Blair.
Again the aggressor
The Times – Leading Article: Shortly after the detention of 15 Royal Navy personnel by Iranian forces in the Gulf yesterday, the Iranian Ambassador to London was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The setting may have been diplomatic, but there was no call for overly diplomatic language. In Iraq, Iranian meddling and arms stand second only to sectarian hatred as contributing factors to the daily violence.
Foreign Office reads riot act to Tehran’s man in London
The Independent: Iran and Britain risk a dangerous escalation of tensions over the sailors’ kidnapping, which comes as the international drive to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions is reaching a climax.
Iran kidnaps Marines at gunpoint
The Independent: In the black of night, our patrol boat skimmed across the Shatt al-Arab waterway, looking out for intruders on the disputed waters.
Marines seized by Iranian guards
Daily Telegraph: A diplomatic crisis between London and Teheran erupted yesterday after 15 British sailors and Royal Marines carrying out a search of a cargo ship in the Gulf were seized at gunpoint by Iranian forces.
Protecting Iraq’s oil supply
The Guardian: The frigate HMS Cornwall is on patrol as the lead ship of Combined Task Force 158, whose UN-backed mission is to protect Iraq’s oil platforms and exports against pirates, smugglers, and terrorists.
Did Iraqi police help kill U.S. troops?
Wall Street Journal: Stoking concerns that insurgents have infiltrated Iraqi forces, an account by four witnesses suggests that a brazen January attack that killed five U.S. soldiers may have been aided by Iraqi police.
Free our sailors, UK tells Iran
The Guardian: Britain yesterday demanded the return of 15 sailors and marines seized by the Iranian navy in a channel separating Iraq and Iran.
Iran’s president cancels U.N. appearance
AP: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad canceled a trip to New York to address the U.N. Security Council before it votes Saturday to impose further sanctions against his country for refusing to stop enriching uranium, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
