Given that a vessel from halfway around the globe was captured off the coast and in close proximity to Iran, (regardless of whether it was in Iraqi or Iranian waters) I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to the natives rather than the people from thousands of miles away who were never welcomed or invited in the Gulf in the first place.
Let's see what it looks like when the dust settles.
I know what the general opinion would be if there was an Iranian ship off the coast of England or the US.

I think it is a ruse by Iran to begin talks with West. This gives them perfect cover. They have something on. There is double speak here like a warning of some sorts. Only time will tell.

It's pretty widely known that the US has operatives in Iran. So the argument that we wouldn't cross over into their territory just doesn't hold water. Whether or not these particular British troops were in Iranian waters really doesn't matter. Look at how long Iran held US hostages before releasing them unharmed. The British won't be harmed. We should negotiate them out of there.

All of you people who want to rush in and attack Iran scare the hell out of me. First, it's illegal for us to do so, according to int'l law. Second, we do not have the resources available for an all-out war with Iran. Third; just look at Iraq. Do you honestly think that we would have a better result in Iran?

Let calmer heads prevail and stop your fist-shaking. Think before you speak, and learn about the subject before you form opinions.

Iran is larger than Alaska with three times the population of California. They also have a military which was not destroyed by Bush 41. I think "Bring 'em on" would not be an appropriate response to this situation.

I hope Americans are going to support getting the return of our servicemen...

Remember who's been there since the beginning... and Britains whos made great sacrifices too.

This was AN ILLEGAL ACT. International Law means that a warning to leave territorial waters and the time to do so should have been the response. ILLEGAL SEIZURES ARE UNLAWFUL.

I think this highlights the underhanded and two-faced nature of the theocratic-dictatorship regime in Iran. Politiking is their life-blood. I just hope no-one is going to let them off for this!!!

The US has the resources to take on Iran tody if it chooses to. It simply depends on what kind of fight the US chooses.

While we're racking up what is or isn't an "illegal act", let's not forget to give a little scrutiny to our invading Iraq for all the wrong and unsubstantiated reasons. OK?
Ok.

Apples and oranges - Iran was glad to see armored columns trekking from Kuwait to Baghdad in search of Mr. Hussein. Do you actually see colors, or just black and white?

GPS will tell where they were. As I understand it, they were in Iraqi waters and Iran drug the whole nine yards to their waters. Iran claims the British were in their waters 6 times....which is probably poppycock. They are masters of lies and deception. It doesn't matter which administration was in office, who the president was, and has nothing to do with politics......this could have happened anytime and probably won't be the last. Wish our plate wasn't so full right now.

Gee I guess it's too terribly hard to imagine that the Brits were in and out of Iran waters a half dozen times and then scooted back as close as they could to the Iraqi side by the time the "capture" took place, huh?
Seeing as how all the focus is placed on where the pick up was made, no one seems all that fired up to know or find out if a series of trespasses were what provoked the incident in the first place.
Nationalists are so selective with what they care to know and believe.
I couldn't say this is what happened. I merely comment on the fact that far too few people care enough to ask.

I think that if our military forces did not have so many restrictions this war might have been over a long time ago. But NO, as soon as we retaliate in someway there is always some person complaning about how we were wrong in doing what we did. This is a war people wether we like it or not, let the military do there job and you do yours. And that is support what ever decision is made. If we dont this war will come to American soil someday.

I am very concerned why the media is highlighting the confessions and the letter from the woman who said we should withdraw from Iraq - obviously what Iran wants if they told her to write that in the letter. We can't even get our own media to condemn Iran let along China and Russia (CNN especially). It should be obvious to all that Iran wants us out of Iraq if they put that comment in the letter from the female.

Great Britain isn't so great anymore
It is no secret that i have never been a fan of anything British (well apart from British Rugby) i trash anything Anglo from their over hyped soccer league to the old gizzers who seat in the British parliament .But i think we can all agree that great Britain is not great anymore .The fiasco of the 15 British marines being held by Iran speaks volumes of what Britain is today .A has been power that cleverly masks its weakness by hiding behind a great history .

I remember a while back arguing with my Kenyan College professorin an International relations class over the role and importance of Britain in the world .To put it politely I told him that Britain only hangs on the coat tails of America and thumps its chest at others only because if challenged its big brother was there to lend support .Yesterday the poor state of Britain's position in the world was exposed and showed itself when it failed to secure a resolution that would have forced Iran to hand over the captured troops On the same day in Southern Africa Britain's calls for Mugabe to step down from power were largely ignored by African states that came out in support of Mugabe instead .In short the UK is a paper tiger whose time to be relieved of its Security Council position has come .It is only appropriate that in all fairness that Britain relinquish its position in the UN and hand over power to a more suitable power such as India .

Today Britains only claim to this position can only be described as a racial .The united kingdom is a toothless kingdom that has lost all the majesty it once boasted of .From nairobi to tokyo its influence and its opinions count for nothing .It is sad that london withthe help of the BBC still pretends that the majesty and power Britain once spoke off still lives today.The reality of the the current world we live in is that Great Britain is great no more .

Iran is clever to detain British service personal, and not American. Had Iran taken 15 American marines and sailors, Bush would not hestitate to bitch-slap that silly little country with blunt trauma. By going after Britons, Iran makes a case against the entire western world, not just America. The general population in Britain these days would rather sing songs of peace and hold hands, than develop some backbone and defend what is theirs. The left wants to tuck tale and run. And then what? The Double Standards in this country make me sick. Talk is cheap. Enough of this left-wing cowardice!

Hmmmm. Let's see now. According to Tony Blair the captured British soldiers are falsely admitting being captured in Iranian waters because they are being coerced but the Gitmo prisoners who admit to fighting for the Taliban are telling the truth despite the fact they have been tortured.

Stupidity and lies remain the underpinnings of their respective administrations.

1. Many are calling the Iranians stupid, but how stupid was it of the U.S. and the U.K. to depose Hussein and put Shiites in power in Iraq, giving the Iranians a natural ally? The Iranians were all in favor of us attacking Iraq so that we could do their dirty work for them. We've spent nearly half a trillion dollars and lost over 3,000 KIA and 20,000 WIA and they've just sat back and laughed at us.

2. All this talk of attacking Iran doesn't mention the effect on world oil prices, nor the toll this would take on U.S./U.K. forces. The Iranians have been practicing and buying equipment for a LONG, LONG time to face down our navies in the Gulf. Recall that in 2002, in a war game simulating an attack on Iran, a U.S. Marine general, using guerrilla tactics and unconventional logistics beat the U.S. force so badly that they had to stop the game and reset the rules in order to let the U.S. win. The ancient Persians invented chess. The Iranians are not stupid.

3. If the U.S./U.K. attack Iran, the Iranians have the capability to completely shut off the roads from Kuwait to Baghdad and to incite an uprising against the Coalition forces. Couple this with the expected resurgence in violence in Afghanistan and you'd have three hot wars at the same time while U.S. equipment is being deteriorated daily and our reserves are non-existent. Do you want to throw in a crippled/sunk aircraft carrier, a closed Straits of Hormuz, making resupply of Kuwait and Iraq impossible?

When are we going to stop playing games with these jacka""es, they are just buy time. People don't realize the importance of blasting them back into the stone age were they belong. They are supplying weapons to terrorist, but they won't supply nukes right! We are so comsummed with oil prices, don't attack because oils price will rise. The next time there is an attack on this soil it's going to make 9/11 look like a milk run, I hope I'm wrong but I doubt it.

The Brits on patrol; why did they not flee or fight back? They just raised the white flag and walked off their boat? Surely they had onboard firepower to mix-it-up with the Iranian patrol and more horsepower, faster boats, to exit rapidly. Believe what you want, but Iran was "given" these sailors by the UK. WHY? To grant Iran the illusion that they have barganing power and force the ball into their court for an internationally visible reaction. Iran has one more chance to prove themselves as peacemakers or barbarians. If they choose the latter, the US and UK will act by following an identical path of escalation that you saw in Iraq. Look for troop buildup, like you saw in Kuwait, to take place in Iraq, just outside the range of conventional Iranian missles. Airpower will again be "tip of the spear" and after-action occupation will be limited. Iran is equipped to govern themselves after their leadership is unseated.

So how come no one has provided GPS details for the 24 hours leading up to this capture rather than simply parading the one lone tracking instance being used to rebutt the Iranian claims of infraction?
Seems to me if the Brits had a case, they would be intelligent enough to present it in their own defense.
But then that wouldn't help with the beating of the war drums would it?

So, Tod, you don't care how how the price of oil goes? Good. Start walking and learn how to make your own plastics, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, etc.

Isn't it odd that everyone assumes that the British had the "right" to be in ANYONE'S territorial waters, Iraqi OR Iranian?

The Iranians were, very simply, taking hostages to trade for their men who were abducted by the U.S. in Arbil back in January.