|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
Buoyant Teheran warns of further kidnappings BY GETHIN CHAMBERLAIN AND PHILIP SHERWELL in New York 8 April 2007, The Sunday Telegraph HARDLINERS IN the Iranian regime have warned that the seizure of British naval personnel demonstrates that they can make trouble for the West whenever they want to. Teheran's bullish reaction will reinforce the fears of western diplomats and military officials that more kidnaps may be planned. The British handling of the crisis is regarded with some concern in Washington. A Pentagon official told The Sunday Telegraph: "The fear now is that this could be the first of many. If the Brits don't change their rules of engagement, the Iranians could take more hostages almost at will. "Iran has come out of this looking reasonable. They have very successfully muddied the waters and bought themselves more time. They could do it time and again if they wanted to.'' America also expressed dismay that the British had suspended boarding operations while its tactics are reassessed. "Iran has got what it wants. They have secured free passage for smuggling weapons into Iraq without a fight,'' a defence department official said. It is also clear that the Iranian government believes that the outcome has strengthened its position over such contentious issues as its nuclear programme. Amir Hassankhani, a conservative parliamentarian, said: "The arrest and release of the sailors proved that if Iran's issues and demands are overlooked, the Islamic republic can create different challenges for the other side.'' However, a British Government official said that while the abductions had provided President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with a platform from which to humiliate the West, such behaviour would have undermined Iran's ambitions for its nuclear programme. "Ahmadinejad may have got some short-term PR bounce out of this, but the more cerebral members of the regime may be quite alarmed that they have squandered their perceived right to be treated as a country that should be trusted with a nuclear enrichment programme,'' he said. "In the long term, they may have lost out.'' Additional reporting by Tim Shipman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
Related links
------------------- |
|
