March 23
# Iranian warships seize 15 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines off the Iraqi coast after the party from HMS Cornwall carries out a routine search of a cargo ship in the northern Persian Gulf.
# The Ministry of Defence insists the sailors were in Iraqi territorial waters at the time.March 24
# Tehran-based Fars news agency claims the group admit sailing into Iranian waters and that satellite tracking systems on the British boats prove they were inside Iranian territory.March 25
# Prime Minister Tony Blair comments for the first time, describing the incident as a “very serious situation”. He calls for a swift end to the “unjustified and wrong” detention of the sailors and marines. He says there is “no doubt at all” that the boat was in Iraqi waters when they were seized.March 26
# Prime Minister Tony Blair ups the ante, describing the group’s capture as “unjustified and wrong”.
# Iranian deputy foreign minister Mehzi Mostafavi said the captives are being interrogated but insisted they were not taken as pawns to be used in exchange for five Iranians held in Iraq. Iran had enough evidence the British forces had been in Iranian waters when they were seized, he added.
# The only woman among the British sailors and marines being held captive is named as Faye Turney, 26. Her family release a statement saying it is a “very distressing time”.March 27
# Mr Blair talks of a “different phase” if diplomatic efforts fail to secure the sailors’ release.March 28
# The Ministry of Defence says the sailors were well within Iraqi territorial waters when they were seized.
# Mr Blair later condemns the “completely unacceptable, wrong and illegal” detention of the group and said it was time to “ratchet up” the diplomatic and international pressure on Iran to release them.
# Mrs Beckett says she has frozen all other bilateral business with Iran.
# Iran says it is ready to release Leading Seaman Turney, with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki saying: “Today or tomorrow, the lady will be released.”
# A letter is later released, said to be written by Leading Seaman Turney to her parents, in which she admits that they had “apparently” crossed into Iranian waters.
# Iranian television screens footage of the 15 personnel in their uniforms apparently well and eating a meal. The Foreign Office denounced the broadcast of the pictures as “completely unacceptable” and Mrs Beckett said she was “very concerned” that the personnel may have faced “pressure or coercion” at the hands of the Iranians.March 29
# The stand-off intensifies after Tehran warned that it could delay the release of Turney if Britain takes the issue to the United Nations.
# Iran releases a second letter said to have been written by Leading Seaman Turney.March 30
# The Foreign Office confirms that the British Embassy has received a note from the Iranian government but refuses to reveal its contents.
It’s a cat and mouse game, and Iran is using hostages to put pressure on the British government to relax their stance in the United Nations about the nuclear weapons production. I think there is a very good chance this is going to backfire completely on Ahmadinijad. Is there a chance that the rest of the Arab world is getting sick and tired of this little monkey?
