Craig Murray has an interesting point about the current stand-off between the UK and Iran. He maintains that it is the UK that has drawn the maritime boundary lines between the waters of Iraq and Iran. He also points out that where the Brits were taken is closer to Iran than Iraq. He quotes that leftist biased magzine, Stars and Stripes, October 24 2006.’Bumping into the Iranians can’t be helped in the northern Persian Gulf, where the lines between Iraqi and Iranian territorial water are blurred, officials said.
“No maritime border has been agreed upon by the two countries,” Lockwood said.’
Murray goes on:
“That is Royal Australian Navy Commodore Peter Lockwood. He is the Commander of the Combined Task Force in the Northern Persian Gulf.
I might even know something about it myself, having been Head of the Maritime Section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1989 to 1992, and having been personally responsible in the Embargo Surveillance Centre for getting individual real time clearance for the Royal Navy to board specific vessels in these waters.”
Found this in yesterday’s New York Times “Britain Adopts Concilatory Tone with Iran” by Alan Cowell.