UK Defense Minister's Statements Regarding the Arrest of 8 British Sailors by Iran - 2004-07-01

The UK Defense Minister has stated in Parliament that Iran apparently caused the incident on June 21 in the Arvand River waterway. Geoff Hoon, in a written statement, said that 8 British sailors reported that Iranians forced three small patrol boats to enter Iranian waters before their arrest. Mr. Hoon stated that the crew of the boats had satellite tracking equipment that corroborates their account of the events that day, but Iran has yet to respond to Britain's requests for the return of this equipment, as well as the boats and weapons that were seized. The Defense Minister also expressed concern that the sailors were shown on Iranian television with their eyes covered and said that Britain has told Iran that such incidents should not occur again. A spokesperson for the opposition Conservative Party told the BBC that this incident represents a setback in London-Tehran relations and added that if, as the statement suggests, the boats were forcibly directed into Iranian coastal waters, it should be regarded as a completely insulting and audacious act. Remember that we were asked to apologize for what appeared to be unauthorized entry into Iranian waters. Our soldiers' eyes were covered, they were shown on television, and humiliated. The equipment that was supposed to be returned on Tuesday has still not been handed back. This truly creates extraordinary tension in UK-Iran relations. However, Jack Straw, the UK Foreign Secretary, continues to defend a policy of constructive engagement with Iran. He told British television that diplomacy can be useful in resolving disputes, such as a territorial dispute that occurred last year between the two countries over a British-occupied area in southern Iraq. Although our relations with Iran are complex, we have functioning diplomatic relations, and my connection with Kamal Kharrazi, my Iranian counterpart, is close. We were able to resolve that issue, like all other matters with Iran, through diplomatic means. British officials dismissed media reports that the US commander in Iraq ordered the British army to attack Iranian soldiers who entered southeastern Iraq last July. The UK Foreign Office stated that the Americans were aware of London's efforts to peacefully resolve that incident and accepted it.