Iranian naval vessels on Friday seized 15 British sailors and marines in disputed Persian Gulf waters off the coast of Iraq, British and U.S. officials said. The detentions come at a time of high tension between the West and Iran, which accused the British of intruding on its territory.
The British government protested immediately, saying the 15 were taken captive in Iraqi waters and summoning the Iranian ambassador in London to the Foreign Office: "He was left in no doubt that we want them back," Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said after the meeting.
Vali Nasr, a senior fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, suggested that the latest detentions may be Iranian retaliation for the arrest of five Iranians in a U.S.-led raid in northern Iraq in January. The U.S. said the five included a Revolutionary Guards general.
"I think Iran sees this as retaliation for the arrest of their own personnel. They have repeatedly said that they want their personnel released," Nasr said. "So they are either signalling that they can do the same thing or they are trying to bring attention to it."
Here is my previous post on the 5 captured Iranians.
Here is an article on the effects of the capture of the British personnel on oil:
Reuters - Oil higher after Iran captures UK navy personnel
Oil rose above $62 to a three-month high on Friday after Iran seized 15 British navy personnel, raising concerns about renewed tension between the oil-producing nation and the West.
U.S. crude climbed 64 cents at $62.33 a barrel by 1335 GMT, adding to gains of more than $2 on Thursday. The session high of $62.50 was the strongest level since December 26 last year.
London Brent crude also rose to a three-month high of $63.50 and was trading 78 cents higher at $63.29 by 1335 GMT.
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