by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 6, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

hen 15 British sailors and marines were captured March 23 by Iran in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, Iran's PR machine went to great lengths to tell the world how well they were treated. Parading captives on video, Iran's Revolutionary Guards scripted captives confess to trespassing and thank Iran for its hospitality. Now that the captives are on British soil, the real picture emerges about psychological torture. “We were blindfolded, our hands were bound and we were forced up against a wall. Throughout our ordeal we faced constant psychological pressure,” said Royal Navy Lt. Felix Carman, 26, talking about how the British prisoners were kept isolated and heard guns cocked in the background. Prisoners were interrogated at night and threatened with long jail sentences if they didn't confess to trespassing. Debriefing interviews confirmed Iran's coercive tactics.

      Royal Marine Capt. Chris Air, 25, confirmed that prisoners thought they'd face execution-style deaths, making them “fear the worst.” When their inflatable landing crafts were rammed by Iranian patrol boats with mounted machine guns, British sailors knew resisting would have been suicidal. “Fighting back was simply not an option,” said Air, confirming they were ambushed by Republican Guards well inside Iraqi territorial waters. “I can clearly state we were 1.7 nautical miles from Iranian waters,” said Air, disputing Iranian claims that the British strayed into Iranian space. Iran never produced proof of British encroachment for its aggressive acts. “They rammed our boats, and trained their heavy machine guns, RPGs, and weapons on us. Another six boats were closing in on us,” Air said, explaining why the sailors surrendered without resistance to the Revolutionary Guards.

      At the time of their capture March 23, British boats were engaged in routine U.N.-mandated patrols, looking for gunrunners and weapons smugglers. “We realized that had we resisted there would have been a major fight, one we could not have won. With consequences that would have major strategic impacts. We mad a conscious decision not to engage the Iranians,” said Air, explaining why the British surrendered without a fight. Iran exploited Leading Seaman Faye Turney, the only woman sailor, forcing her into false confessions wearing a headscarf on Iranian TV. Air said Turney was singled out, isolated, told her comrades had bee shipped home and exploited for propaganda purposes, including coercing a false confession, apology and plea to the British government to change its Mideast policies. “She coped admirably and has maintained a lot of dignity,” said Air, about Turney's plight.

      Working backdoor with the Syrians, Prime Minister Tony Blair bit his tongue and showed admirable restraint to resolve the crisis. Had Blair been more vocal publicly, he might have backed Iran into a corner. President George W. Bush was less restrained, condemning the Iranians for unjustified provocation, demanding an immediate release of the 15 sailors. Now that his service personnel have been returned safely, after being psychologically tortured, Blair must acknowledge and protest Iranian abuse of British sailors. Fitting British captives with cheap Iranian suits can't hide Iran's egregious violation of the Geneva Convention, coercing false confessions, parading prisoners on TV and touting their “humane” behavior. “We were very careful about what we said and what we didn't say,” Air said, admitting a “few incidents when our safety was at risk,” without exposing psychological torture.

      When Iran broadcasted video confessions, Blair correctly called them staged and manipulated. What he didn't realize was that the sailors endured isolation, intimidation, direct death threats and threats of long prison sentences. “Let me make this clear—irrespective of what was said in the past—when were detained we were detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard we were inside internationally recognized territorial waters,” said Carman, reversing his earlier confession on Iranian TV. Iran reacted by accusing the British government of forcing its sailors to read false statements. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad released the hostages in response to mounting international heat, pressuring Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's ultraconservative regime. Iran couldn't stomach more isolation while enduring punitive U.N. sanctions for its renegade nuclear program.

      Blair must publicly acknowledge and condemn Iran's treatment of 15 British sailors. Allowing Iran to pluck its sailors out of Iraqi waters makes a sham out of the U.N. mandate, permitting the U.K. to patrol the Gulf for smugglers and gunrunners. If Britain continues to patrol the Gulf, they must never again allow such unprovoked aggression and be prepared to hold their ground. Instead of allowing Ahmadinejad tout Iranian suits and praise his humane treatment, Blair must let the world see the extent of the abuse of the British sailors. Seizing the British vessels was a provocative attack by Iran, flexing its muscles in the Gulf. Releasing the sailors doesn't signal a more conciliatory tone by Iranian authorities. Blair must let Ahmadinejad know that his government won't tolerate more provocation and abusive treatment: Diplomacy won't settle the next incident.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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