As Cherice of Santa Rosa says "Border disputes are not a part of this" as was evidenced by the Iranian claim of the UK sailors' position being changed upon the realisation that this would have placed the British in Iraqi watersdispute or no dispute.

Further it should not be forgotten that the Britis were operating in the area under the authority of and in accordance with a resolution of the UN o which both parties are members.

Mel Rowing, Pi ckering, UK

Those that bring up Abu Ghraib (where a handful of night guards made naked pyramids of insurgents) and Basa Moussa (Basrah) where 3 UK soldiers did the same, to negate the treatment of British hostages by the Iranians are, as usual, missing the point.

First, we don't know 'all' that the British are going through (we do know what the last group went through and it was worse than either of the above examples). Second, for relativists, two wrongs DO MAKE a right. Third, by this logic, all police forces should be disbanded because occasionally a corrupt cop is discovered.

They ignore the fact that the hostages were taken while operating under a UN mandate (the very church of the relativsts). Could it be that these poor pathetic 'pacificists' do not want peace, but rather that they want an excuse to do nothing? It is they who have made the UN impotent.

M. Fernandez, San Francisco,

Back in the early sixties there was a song entitled: "When Will They Ever Learn". It was the Vietnam war times. The trouble with the West, ie. U.S., Britain and Israel, is that the only thing they respect is double dealing, standards, and hubris. They are truely convinced the world is theirs. Planting a terror-sponsor regime right in the middle of the orient is OK. Occupying other peoples land is OK. Resisting occupation now is termed terror. If Syrian Golan Heights were occupied since June 1967, then who is terrorist? The occupier supported by US, Britain and France, or the victims. You are dragging the world to many catastrophe. For the sake of any god you may worship beside lust and hegemony: STOP! I wonder how bad you all would cry if Iran, Iraq, Syria, Russia and China were the permanent members of the So called United Nothing Mafia Council!

Ali Soudani, Geneva, Switzerland

So many comments reveal a glaring lack of fortitude....an act of war is made upon you prefer to cower in a dark corner. You can be sure that other hostile parties will take notice of this lack of will & action and you will get more of the same. This would never have happened if the Iranians had actually feared a British response.
I hope the issue is resolved soon....but expect more of the same.

J, McHenry, USA / IL

Mr Holcroft from Oxford states the UN would not help when the Chinese encroach upon NZ. Would the British help? - or have you all forgotten the NZ and colonial blood shed in many major wars from the Boer war onwards.

Greg, Auckland, NZ

Blair's vehemence in asserting the exact location of a ships position in relation to territorial waters which are themselves in dispute since Saddam Hussain's unilateral abrogation of the previous Iran/Iraq treaty is contentious to say the least. Given his record one cannot but suspect that he may be attempting manipulate British opinion and to provide a cassus belli for the Americans, thus ensuring his legacy as the most bellicose PM in our history

Kunjani, Lowestoft, UK

Why can't we (Britain) just apologise to the Iranians for being in their water? Whether we were or not doesn't really matter. If they get an apology it might bring this episode to an end.
We shouldn't let our pride get in the way of bringing a swift conclusion to this crisis

Dan, Bradford,

"some allies are more ambivalent than their early statements suggest"

Most of the times, Blair and other UK leaders talk like attorneys/lawyers. So in return they get what they give.

In the case of Russia, US, UK and many European nations try to embarrass it as much as possible. So when it comes to Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and many other nations, Russia gives back by trying to put as many spokes as possible as is happening in Iran.
Regards,

Krishna R. Kumar, Udupi, India

What I mean to say is, is the problem that Tony Blair doesn’t want to apologise to the descendants of Cyrus the Great; or is it an anxiety to conceal defects in British naval navigation equipment; or is it an affirmation of Iraqi territorial claims; is it a wish to promote the equality of women in Iranian society; is it an attempt to discredit Ahmadinejad. I could go on, but I don’t want to get back to WMD.

Henry Percy, London, UK

This is yet another bottleneck in British policy regarding the European Union. The policy of divide-and-rule clashes with the current wish to be supported by a unified European front. With the influx of pro-American nations of the former Eastern Europe into the Union (which largely diminished the power of the Franco-German tandem), now more than ever has Britain got the oppotunity to steer the European Union where it wants, but that will require a rethink of the current policy.

Oddly enough, to get what it wants from Europe (such as maintaining a great deal of sovereignty), Britain may, for now, have to get *more* involved in Europe rather than less.

But at any rate, the current policy ill-suffices and serves neither Europe nor the UK.

Erik, The Hague, Netherlands

That much is easy. The difficulty is which problem? The allies are so prolific at creating problems within problems that the trick has become to spot the real problem.

Henry Percy, London, UK

Regardless of how you see it, we have lost the moral authority we may have had to dictate correct conduct to countries like Iran. It may be sickening that our soldiers are being paraded on television to promote a propaganda lie but, through our willing participation in the war itself, we are implicit in such acts like that displayed in the Abu Ghraib prison. China may execute up to thousands of prisoners a year, but our foreign policy is such that they can (reasonably?) point the finger in our direction too. I fear that an axis has already turned and we, along with the Americans, have shamed the moral purpose of democracy and may well face larger repercussions in the future. This is just one step on that path.

Michael, Liverpool,

The mullahs seized the British vessel because they knew they had nothing to worry about. The EU is a straw man, capable of producing regulations, but at the end of the day, with no military divisions or moral force. Clearly, one feels sad that there is nothing to be lost for an outlaw nation to kidnap Brits- except being flailed with weak diplomatic statements.

Richard, Dallas, USA/TX

If you want to play with words, and their intended meanings perhaps your correspondent should consider the use of collaborate in the interpretation of Caption Chris Air's statement - surely it should be corroborate!

Jim D, Norwich, UK

Great to see Jingoism alive and well. Aren't there two things here. First it's pretty senseless saying they were in Iraqi waters as that is a matter of opinion not fact in this hotly disputed territorial area. Second the unnerving sight of 'our boys and one girl' looking as if the last thing they are, are highly trained hardened military personnel, but more like a picnic party that got lost.

john Walter, bonn, Germany

UK troops have tortured and murdered Iraqi civilians in detention. Baha Moussa, a young father from Basra, was just one such victim.

Let us hope that the Iranians do not treat UK military personnel in a similar manner and release them soon. Given the UK's misbehaviour on the world stage over the past several years, I find the current moral outrage of my more excitable fellow citizens decidedly hypocritical.

Richard, Nottingham, England

Viewed from afar the affair and the moral outrage seem rather silly. What the Dickens is a British boat doing 1.7 miles off Iranian waters? Has the British Empire revived? And why don't we invite the Iranians to patrol the English Channel or the Gulf of Mexico to equal things up? Anyway, let's be thankful the sailors weren't captured by the good ole US of A and locked away in solitary in some torture centre for 5 years without trial.

To lose one patrol boat may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose two looks lke carelessness.

Phil, Hong Kong,

Everybody British knows that we would openly support any country in the same predicament because it is simply wrong to parade innocent soldiers who were going about their business fairly and non aggressively on TV for the satisfaction of a corrupt regime and a debauched, dishonoured people. Iran disgusts me, and so do all the countries who are not standing up for what is right to protect some fairly unimportant financial interests. Stop going on about Britain and her empire. We got rid of our empire in a fairly smooth and honourable way, and we were not alone in having an empire, it was a phase in world history. Ditto slavery, which we played a very prominent role in wiping out. Stop Brit bashing. Ok, Iraq is a horrible mistake, but that was all about not isolating America, we had nothing to gain financially. Remember the US? They liberated Europe with us in 1945. Down with Islamic fundamentalism, up with British libertarianism.

Penelope, London, UK

what a load of bumptious garbage from 4 overseas contributors.

the tv footage clearly shows the boat that had been searched in iraqi waters - iraqi waters as agreed by international convention - a boat being searched under a UN mandate ... and lest these bumptious commentators forget - even IF these sailors had been in iran waters they should simply have been returned as per international law.

let our friend from NZ realise now that he will get precious little help from the UN in the coming years as his country and others around the pacific are faced with more and more chinese encroachment and hegemony.

Trevor Holcroft, Oxford, UK

Border disputes are not a part of this. The maps displayed by Iran show the same border lines as the maps displayed by Great Britain. And for three days Iran provide coordinates that placed the location of the kidnapping to be in Iraqi waters, according to BOTH British and Iranian maps detailing the border lines. Everyone know this, but a shamefully number prefer to pretend they don't know it in order to support their opinions against Britain. This is the same lying that they accuse Bush and Blair of. Iran does not care if we know they are lying. The fact that they are lying, everyone knows it and there is nothing Britain can do about it (in their minds, anyway) is all a part of the power display and attempt to humiliate Britain. And, of course, they know they can count on those that harbor resentment toward the west and/or Blair and Bush will go along and pretend they believe it all.

Cherice, Santa Rosa, Ca, USA

Maybe a time to recall how the Romans treated hostage takers? :
"When Rome was still a minor city-state, it belonged to a league of cities. A question of some importance to one of the other cities sought Rome's vote on the issue. When Rome refused to assist them, the other city took a party of Roman hostage. They had been on a religious pilgrimage, so the act of the other city was sacrilege.
After taking the hostages, the other city sent envoys to Rome to demand that, if Rome did not vote with them, the hostages would be killed. The Counsels and Senate met in closed session while the envoys waited. After hours of deliberations, the Roman came out. They had torn their robes and smeared them with soot and ashes. They informed the envoys that they would not submit and, therefore considered their fellow citizens dead. The Romans stated that Rome would hold three days of mourning and that, on the fourth day, Rome would march. Alle envoys except one was tortured allive to death..."

Roy, Amsterdam,

As in all things,trust is everything.It has come to something when the British public have to scrutinise and read between the lines of everything Blair says or does.This is seen by some as unpatriotic,mostly Americans.I am afraid that after the many lies to get us into this war and the conduct of our countries since it started we have every right to be sceptical.If we can not now say"My country right or wrong"it is more a question of corrupt leadership than lack of patriotism,which after all is the last refuge of scoundrels.If we doubted our leaders as much before the war as we do now we might not be in this mess.

JohnP, Newcastle, UK

Iran has no basis to hold British personnel or citizens kidnapped and isolated from consular access or Red Cross. This is inexcusable behaviour no matter how people ike to spin it.

The German taxpayer underwrites 900 million Euros of exports to Iran, an illegal regime bans opposition parties from standing in elections, murders its opponents, and is thoroughly corrupt. It is inevitable that Iran will come into major conflict as it seeks to rebuild the Persian Empire throughout the Middle East and in traditional form we shall wait until the conflict can be disastrous before forced to act. The United Nations has succumbed to League of Nations Disease and Dead Parrot Syndrome.

ToMTom, Leeds, England

Whilst apparently unable to defend its highly trained sailors and marines from being captured at sea by a bunch of bearded ragamuffins I refuse to believe that 400 years of naval experience has left the Royal Navy in a postiion where one of its ships doesn't know where it is.

yzvi, london, GB

"It’s a difficult business for Britain to muster solid international support"

Hardly surprising when it appears that home grown support is definitely lacking, just cruise UK political blogs, it's sickening.

Stan(expat), USA, USA

How is the international community to know for sure where the exact position of the British sailors and officers truly were, and what was their true mission? These are tough questions to resolve in a hurry and is obviously the cause of the delay in support. you ponder about.

Barry K. Berkson, Albuquerque, USA /New Mexico

I am not exactly sure what Ms. Bronwen Maddox is trying to say, so let me help her out. The line between the territorrial waters of Iran and Iraq in this area is confused between the parties and in dispute in any case. Futhermore, the chaos in Iraq is so immense that a new war is just totally out of the question. Why lean on gramatical constructions for interpretation of the big picture? I am sorry for the personal predicament of all abductees, including the Iranian consular officials which the US siezes at its sole option. Forget your rage: see reason. Your sailors can be returned without harm if calm heads prevail.

John, Seattle , USA

Britain's international campaign to portray itself as the victim is also hampered by the inconvenient fact that Iran and Iraq never agreed to the alleged sea border which Mr Blair relies on in his alleged "certainty" that the ship was in Iraqi waters. The alleged border promulgated by the UK regime had to veer away from the mid-line and towards Iran so that the (UK-version) position of the vessel would be in "Iraqi" waters.

Perhaps it hasn't filtered through yet to the UK media that ex-imperial Britain can no longer set borders of foreign countries by diktat. And that Blair's certainties are about as credible as Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

Richard Cheeseman, Wellington, New Zealand

How shocking that the French and Germans are such laggards in supporting us against Iran. If fifteen French seamen were held captive there, we Brits, of course, would be demonstrating in the streets, demanding that our government sacrifice every national interest on their behalf.

John Vincent, Christchurch,

Excellent - now you have pointed out the linguistic deficiencies the Iranians should be able to ensure that future statements are far more believable. It's important for the British media to give Teheran as much support as possible in all this.

Peter, Cambridge,