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Iran waits for new British stance

Iran waits for new British stance

TEHRAN – Iran ignored growing international pressure yesterday to release 15 British sailors and marines, saying London should change its behaviour over the nine-day-old stand-off.

Iran captured the 15 Britons on March 23, accusing them of illegally entering the Islamic Republic’s territorial waters. Britain says the sailors were seized in Iraqi waters.Their capture has prompted international criticism of Iran, with US President George W Bush calling the detention inexcusable and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, now holder of the European Union presidency, demanding the sailors’ release.The row, at a time of heightened Middle East tensions over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme, pushed oil prices last week to six-month highs.The West accuses Iran of seeking to build atomic bombs, a charge Tehran denies.Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying on state television: “Iran is waiting for a change of behaviour by Britain and a balanced stance by this country over our legal demands.”He did not outline the demands but, in a speech on Saturday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Britain should have apologised.He has also accused London of not following ‘the legal or logical way’ in the dispute.Adding to the tense atmosphere, Iran sent a letter to the British embassy in Tehran complaining about a shooting by British troops near its consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra, Iran’s Isna news agency reported.Iran said it was a provocative act but Britain denied any aggressive action and said the shooting on Thursday came from a British convoy that was ambushed in the same street.Mottaki said Iran was studying a written message sent by British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett that replied to an earlier Iranian diplomatic note on the detentions.”There are many points in this note that we will look into,” the Iranian foreign minister said.British Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander said London was “exploring the potential for dialogue with the Iranians” but gave no details.British forces have been deployed in southern Iraq since joining the US-led invasion of the country in 2003.Britain and the United States accuse Iran of allowing sophisticated weapons used to target their forces to be brought into Iraq.On Saturday, US President George W.Bush called on Tehran to release the 15 immediately.”The Iranians must give back the hostages.They’re innocent,” Bush told a news conference.Using the term ‘hostages’ evokes the drama shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution when Iranian students stormed the US embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans for 444 days.Washington broke relations as a result and they have never been restored.Nampa-ReutersBritain says the sailors were seized in Iraqi waters.Their capture has prompted international criticism of Iran, with US President George W Bush calling the detention inexcusable and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, now holder of the European Union presidency, demanding the sailors’ release.The row, at a time of heightened Middle East tensions over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme, pushed oil prices last week to six-month highs.The West accuses Iran of seeking to build atomic bombs, a charge Tehran denies.Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying on state television: “Iran is waiting for a change of behaviour by Britain and a balanced stance by this country over our legal demands.”He did not outline the demands but, in a speech on Saturday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Britain should have apologised.He has also accused London of not following ‘the legal or logical way’ in the dispute.Adding to the tense atmosphere, Iran sent a letter to the British embassy in Tehran complaining about a shooting by British troops near its consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra, Iran’s Isna news agency reported.Iran said it was a provocative act but Britain denied any aggressive action and said the shooting on Thursday came from a British convoy that was ambushed in the same street.Mottaki said Iran was studying a written message sent by British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett that replied to an earlier Iranian diplomatic note on the detentions.”There are many points in this note that we will look into,” the Iranian foreign minister said.British Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander said London was “exploring the potential for dialogue with the Iranians” but gave no details.British forces have been deployed in southern Iraq since joining the US-led invasion of the country in 2003.Britain and the United States accuse Iran of allowing sophisticated weapons used to target their forces to be brought into Iraq.On Saturday, US President George W.Bush called on Tehran to release the 15 immediately.”The Iranians must give back the hostages.They’re innocent,” Bush told a news conference.Using the term ‘hostages’ evokes the drama shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution when Iranian students stormed the US embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans for 444 days.Washington broke relations as a result and they have never been restored.Nampa-Reuters

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