British forces surround Iranian consulate for hour

[sabra]

Source: Voices of Iraq

Basra, March 29, (VOI) – A British patrol was attacked on Thursday by light arms near the Iranian consulate in Basra, 550 south of Baghdad, the spokeswoman for the Multi-National forces in southern Iraq said.

“A British patrol was attacked by gunmen using light arms on Thursday, near the Iranian consulate in Basra,” Captain Katie Brown told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) over the phone.

...

The spokeswoman affirmed that the Iranian consulate was not the aim of the operation.
British forces surrounded the Iranian consulate in Basra for an hour, eyewitnesses had said earlier in the day.

“British forces intensified their deployment around the Iranian consulate in al-Baradaya in central Basra on Thursday morning,” an eyewitness told the (VOI).
“They besieged the consulate for an hour without storming it,” he added.
“The forces withdrew without Iraqi security forces’ intervention,” the eyewitness noted.


Read more: http://www.aswataliraq.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=40679&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

[snappyturtle]

1. I'm going to K&R this because I think we should be very

alert to what is going on in regard to Iran. Thanks for posting this. I'm nervous that the capture of the British Marines may easily get out of hand. I haven't clicked your link yet so maybe I'll learn more about the British who "...withdrew without Iraqi security forces' intervention,...". That makes me wonder if now the "coalition" will be fighting with the Iraqi men we've trained?

[sabra]

2. "Basra Residents Wary of UK-Iran Confrontation"

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/2131/Basra_Residents_Wary_of_UK-Iran_Confrontation

It appears many are on edge regarding what the future may hold...

[snappyturtle]

6. Those poor people. This sounds even worse. n/t

[BluePatriot]

3. ...

All it will take is some trigger happy person or a minor miscommunication to set off WWIII at this point. I wish I were kidding about that, I really do. Thanks a lot, Bushco. I liked Madeleine Albright last night on Colbert when she said, "Armageddon should not be a foreign policy choice."

[sabra]

4. Update: Britain denies troops have surrounded Iraian consulate in Iraq

<snip>

Iran’s consul in Iraq has accused British soldiers of surrounding his Basra office and firing shots into the air.

Britain denied the allegation. The Ministry of Defence in London said the shooting was an exchange of gunfire after British troops on a foot patrol near the Iranian consulate were ambushed.

However, Iranian Consul-General Mohammed Ridha Nasir Baghban said British forces had engaged in a “provocative act” that “could worsen the situation of the British sailors”.

“British forces should rely on wisdom and not react because of the British forces’ detention. This reflects negatively on bilateral relations,” Mr Baghban told The Associated Press.

[BayCityProgressive]

5. great

This is definately racheting up quickly...God Damn Blair is just as bad as Bush..

[Eugene]

7. Iran sends note of protest to British embassy in Tehran

Source: IRNA

Iran sends note of protest to British embassy in Tehran

Tehran, April 1, IRNA

Iran-Note of Protest
By sending a formal note to the British embassy in Tehran, the Islamic Republic
of Iran protested about raiding Iranian consulate in Basra by British forces.

According to Foreign Ministry Media Department report, an official said following
the incident of shooting to Iran's consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra last
Tuesday, the note of protest was given to British embassy in Tehran.

The official said, in the note, Iran has asked Britain to prevent such actions in
the future and respect international laws regarding diplomatic buildings.

The note was also given to Iran's Mission to the United Nations in New York to
be registered as an official document of the UN.


Link: http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-20/0704016085002232.htm

---

Source: Associated Press

Iran Delivers Protest Letter to UK

The Associated Press
Sunday, April 1, 2007; 5:43 AM

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran has sent a formal letter to the British Embassy in Tehran
protesting an alleged incident in which British troops surrounded an Iranian consulate
in Iraq and fired shots into the air, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported Sunday
on its Web site.

Britain has denied any aggressive action, saying the shooting was an exchange of
gunfire after British troops on a foot patrol near the Iranian consulate were ambushed.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/01/AR2007040100205.html