03/28/2007
Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday it was time to "ratchet up the pressure" on Iran to release 15 Royal Navy personnel detained last week.
"There was no justification whatever ... for their detention, it was completely unacceptable, wrong and illegal," Blair told the House of Commons, shortly after the Ministry of Defense released satellite data which it said proved the crew was in Iraqi waters.
"We had hoped to see their immediate release; this has not happened. It is now time to ratchet up the diplomatic and international pressure in order to make sure the Iranian government understands its total isolation on this issue," Blair said.
The prime minister said he believed the Navy crew acted sensibly in not putting up fight after being confronted by six Iranian vessels.
"If they had engaged in military combat at that stage, there would have undoubtedly been severe loss of life. I think they took the right decision and did what was entirely sensible," Blair said.
UK says to freeze official dealings with Iran
Britain will freeze official bilateral business with Iran - apart from contacts over Tehran's capture of 15 British sailors and marines - until the crisis is over, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said on Wednesday.
"We are now in a new phase of diplomatic activity. We need to focus all our bilateral efforts during this phase to resolution of this issue. We will therefore be imposing a freeze on all other official bilateral business with Iran until this situation is resolved," Beckett told parliament.
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