British on tightrope over captives in Iran
London asked the UN Security Council on Thursday to 'deplore' Iran's seizure of its sailors.
from the March 30, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
The intervention by Iran's Mr. Larijani, a conservative close to the supreme religious leader, appeared to indicate a move in that direction, trumping the role played by Iran's foreign ministry, which is often seen as more pragmatic.
"It's a classic Iranian problem with diplomacy," says Professor Semati, noting that Iran has been under pressure from Washington and from UN sanctions over its nuclear program. "If things ratchet up, [Iranian officials] tend to stand firmer, and domestic impulses become more involved in ending the dispute.
"The more public [the British] make it," he adds, "the more difficult it will be to be resolved, from the domestic Iranian political context."
British officials are aware of the need to tread delicately. They acknowledge that a heavy-handed approach could bolster support for the hard-line camp and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps which seized the sailors.
Privately, they are at a loss to explain Iran's motives. Analysts link it to British involvement in UN efforts to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions, or to the capture of five Iranians in northern Iraq by US forces in January. A surge in oil prices since the spike in tensions has not gone unnoticed in London.
But some see a more general bravado, a show to the "Great Satan" and "Little Satan." Mr. Bigham notes that the video of the sailors appeared on an international Arabic channel and not on the domestic one. "It's a message to the international community that says 'we are prepared to take any action we want.' "
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