Blasts at Britain’s Tehran embassy
Small explosions have been reported at the British embassy in Tehran, as the dispute over 15 Royal Navy personnel seized by Iran took a new turn.
Rocks and firecrackers were thrown at the embassy compound as about 200 student protestors demonstrated against the UK government’s refusal to apologise for straying into Iranian territorial waters.
The sailors were seized on March 23rd as their patrol boat boarded a merchant vessel in the Shatt al-Arab waterway between Iraq and Iran in the northern Gulf.
Iran claims the Royal Navy personnel from HMS Cornwall had strayed into its territory, but the Ministry of Defence is adamant they never left Iraqi waters during their UN-backed mission.
At today’s demonstration, chants of “British, British death to you” and “death to America” were heard as smoke rose from the nearby embassy.
Speaking from Afghanistan, UK defence secretary Des Browne said that Britain was still in “direct bilateral communication” with Iran over the release of the 14 men and one woman.
“There is no reason to continue to keep them there,” he said.
“We are anxious that this matter be resolved as quickly as possible and that it be resolved by diplomatic means and we are bending every single effort to that.”
Earlier, George Bush condemned Iran’s continued detention of the sailors and marines as unacceptable, accusing Tehran of treating the Britons as “hostages”.
With the dispute entering its second week and no sign of a resolution, the US president told reporters that Iran must release the sailors and marines immediately to end its “inexcusable behaviour”.
Speaking from his retreat at Camp David, Mr Bush told a press conference: “The Iranians must give back the hostages. They’re innocent.
“The Iranians took these people out of Iraqi waters. It’s inexcusable behaviour.
“I strongly support the Blair government’s attempts to resolve this peacefully. And I support the prime minister when he made it clear there were no quid pro quos.”
Mr Bush’s Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also broke his silence on the seizure of the 15 Britons this weekend, accusing the UK of not behaving in the “legal or logical way” in its response.
“The British government, instead of apologising and expressing regret over the action taken, started to claim that we are in their debt and shouted in different international councils,” Mr Ahmadinejad told state radio, referring to Britain’s diplomats pressing for support over its stance in the UN and the EU.
But after a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Germany yesterday, Margaret Beckett said she was concerned by comments made by Iran’s Russian ambassador indicating the 15 sailors should face trial for their actions.
The UK foreign secretary said that the remarks amounted to “sabre-rattling”, adding: “The message I want to send is I think everyone regrets that this position has arisen. What we want is a way out of it.”
