Arab-language newspaper: Iran-U.S forces clash in southern Iraq

[Brightmore]

On the Haaretz news ticker. No story yet.

This could get interesting...

BTW: Haaretz is a major Israeli newspaper.

[bluestateguy]

1. Haaretz is usually alarmist garbage

[Frederik]

2. They are quoting

an "Arab-language newspaper", without naming the newspaper. I'm sure it's a misunderstanding somewhere.

[tocqueville]

3. But there are still facts...

About a year ago, Iranian forces seized a part of the swamps near Bassorah in what their considered being their territory confiscated by Saddam.

"Dirty" Sanchez ordered the British General in charge of the sector to attack them with full force. The General refused with the words "I am not going to start WWIII". The British then settled an agrrement with the Iranians.

I don't have the link now, but I am pretty sure of that report, I think it was an AFP report.

So the area is potentially explosive. Remember that British soldiers in the area were captured by the Iranians for intrusion, then returned after negotiations.

[bananas]

4. "the area is potentially explosive"

Nice choice of words.
I'm still 99% convinced they're still planning to nuke Iran
within the next two years.

[Frederik]

5. Are you sure that was in Iraq?

Sounds like an episode from Kosovo in 1999. General Wesley Clarke ordered the British General Sir Michael Jackson to force the Russians out of Pristina airport, but Sir Jackson refused with the words "I'm not starting World War III for you".

[tocqueville]

6. Yes I am sure

I think the article even quoted the Kosovo episode as a parallell.
So I might have mixed the quotations.

I'd love to find the story again and post a link

[tocqueville]

7. LINK HERE : Attack Iran, US chief ordered British

Attack Iran, US chief ordered British

By Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 30/06/2004)

America's military commander in Iraq ordered British troops to prepare a full-scale ground offensive against Iranian forces that had crossed the border and grabbed disputed territory, a senior officer has disclosed.

An attack would almost certainly have provoked open conflict with Iran. But the British chose instead to resolve the matter through diplomatic channels.

"If we had attacked the Iranian positions, all hell would have broken loose," a defence source said yesterday.

"We would have had the Iranians to our front and the Iraqi insurgents picking us off at the rear."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/06/30/wiran30.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/06/30/ixportal.html

Iran releases eight captured servicemen
By Robin Gedye and Richard Savill
(Filed: 25/06/2004)

Eight British servicemen arrested for straying into Iranian waters were released into the custody of British diplomats yesterday after a four-day ordeal that had threatened to spiral into a diplomat crisis.

The six Royal Marines and two sailors arrived at the sanctuary of the British embassy in Teheran after being flown in an Iranian military aircraft from Bandar Mahshahr in the south-west accompanied by three British diplomats who negotiated their freedom.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=IKP2BY0Z1AVZBQFIQMFCM54AVCBQYJVC?xml=/news/2004/06/25/wiran25.xml

[Frederik]

11. Thanks!

I had forgotten all about that. Now let's hope this latest report of clashes between US and Iranian forces isn't true...

[moodforaday]

8. Scott Ritter says there already *is* a US-Iran conflict

like we have recently heard that Iraq bombing began as a clandestine operation, months before the attack began officially and with cameras rolling. Drones have been flying over Iran for months now, too.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0620-31.htm

[H2O Man]

9. There has been.

This could spiral out of control.

[teryang]

10. US oil companies covet Iranian energy resources

...a casual reading of energy industry publications over the past three years make this clear.

Iran's energy resources could be more efficiently run by the majors. This is a mantra endlessly chanted by the industry.