UK reviews Gulf operations after sailors return

London, Apr 6: Britain has suspended boarding operations in the Gulf and is reviewing all procedures after the seizure by Iran of 15 sailors and marines, navy chief Jonathon Band said today.

He defended the Royal Navy's handling of the affair and said the 15, released by Iran yesterday and flown to London, were being debriefed to find out exactly what happened.

''For the moment we have stopped UK boarding operations,'' The First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff told BBC Radio today.

''We will obviously do a complete review.'' Iran still holds the only two boats used to carry out the search operations in the highly sensitive area.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to the surprise of the 15, their families and the British government, said on Wednesday he had decided to forgive and free the group, who were seized from their patrol boat in the northern Gulf on March 23.

Iran said they had strayed into its waters but Britain said they were in Iraqi waters on a regular UN mission.

Band said the ''confessions'' made by the sailors in captivity on television and in letters, appeared to have been made under ''a certain amount of psychological pressure.'' ''From what I have seen of them on the television and I met them personally when they returned to their families yesterday, I think they acted with considerable dignity and a lot of courage,'' he added.

Band defended their behaviour and said ''They appear to have played it by the rules, they don't appear to have put themselves into danger, others into danger, they don't appear to have given anything away.'' On return to London, they were flown directly by helicopter to a base in southwest England for a joyful reunion with their families.

In a statement released several hours after their return, the 15 said their arrival at Heathrow airport had been a ''dream come true'' and said they would not forget the welcome.

''The past two weeks have been very difficult, but by staying together as a team, we kept our spirits up, drawing great comfort from the knowledge that our loved ones would be waiting for us on our return,'' they said in a statement read out by a Royal Marines spokesman.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed their safe return but said the death of four British soldiers in Iran's neighbour Iraq earlier yesterday had tempered any sense of jubilation.

Reuters

Related Stories