2004 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel

none July 2014 May 2025 RN-seized-boats.jpg 300px Two British patrol boats just after their capture as shown by Iranian TV the spillover of the Iraq War 21–24 June 2004 Shatt al-Arab (Iran–Iraq border) Iranian victory Iran confiscates British vessels and weapons;British naval personnel released after being held for three days United KingdomIraq 2004 Iran United Kingdom marines Royal MarinesUnited Kingdom navy Royal NavyIraq navy Iraqi Navy (training) Iran coast guard Border Guard CommandIran coast guard Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Three naval patrol boats seizedEight sailors captured (later released) None On 21 June 2004, in the Shatt al-Arab (Arvand Rud in Persian) waterway,https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3077540.stm Timeline: UK-Iran relations BBC News 23 March 2007 28 March 2007 six Royal Marines and two Royal Navy sailors were captured by Iran. The British servicemen were seized while training Iraqi river patrol personnel after Iran said they had strayed to the Iranian side of the waterway. They were threatened with legal action initially but released three days later following diplomatic discussions between Jack Straw, then British Foreign Secretary, and Kamal Kharazi, then Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The weapons and boats of the British personnel were confiscated and have not been returned.https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3835313.stm Iran releases British servicemen BBC News 24 June 2004 4 April 2007 They were released unharmed three days later, on 24 June, after the British and Iranian governments agreed there had been a misunderstanding.which side had misunderstood? July 2018 Their equipment was not returned and a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) was put on display in a museum in Tehran. During their detention, according to former detainee Marine Scott Fallon, they endured a mock execution in which they were marched into the desert and made to stand blindfolded in front of a ditch while their captors cocked their weapons.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6495761.stm Iraq urges Iran to free sailors BBC News 26 March 2007 27 March 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070331222539/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6495761.stm 31 March 2007 live https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6494289.stm Iran warns sailors may be charged BBC News 26 March 2007 26 March 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20080327123520/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6494289.stm 27 March 2008 live They also appeared blindfolded on Iranian TV, where they were forced to apologise for their "mistake".http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/23/iran.uk/index.html Diplomats meet over Iranian seizure of British sailors CNN 23 March 2007 23 March 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070326201108/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/23/iran.uk/index.html 26 March 2007http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/administration/afp-news.html?id=070324042219.u497alll&cat=world Iran holds British sailors as West set to tighten sanctions Agence France-Presse 23 March 2007 24 March 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070930185343/http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/administration/afp-news.html?id=070324042219.u497alll&cat=world 30 September 2007 deadhttp://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=721052004 Iran vows to release British servicemen Edinburgh Evening News 23 June 2004 25 March 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070510034828/http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=721052004 10 May 2007 dead The Royal Navy boats were operating close to the northern coast of the Persian Gulf in the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway which divides southern Iran and Iraq. The weather was bad causing negligible visibility which may have contributed to a potential crossing of the Iranian border by the Royal Navy. After the crew were returned and events analysed the British government affirmed its belief that the personnel were actually still in Iraqi waters, however they consigned the incident to a misunderstanding and requested the return of the equipment. In 2015, an FOIA request released a redacted report.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/482254/20151120-Shaat_Al_Arab_Learning_Account_Redacted.pdf Shaat Al Arab Learning Account Ministry of Defence 22 May 2016https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/482253/20151120-Shaat_Al_Arab_Learning_Account_Suplementary_Redacted.pdf Shaat Al Arab Learning Account supplementary paper Ministry of Defence 22 May 2016 See also 2007 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel Iran–United Kingdom relations References Seizure of Royal Navy personnel Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel Category:International maritime incidents Category:Iranian war crimes Category:Maritime incidents in 2004 Iranian Seizure of Royal Navy Personnel, 2004 Category:Iran–United Kingdom military relations Category:21st-century history of the Royal Navy Category:Battles and conflicts without fatalities Category:June 2004 in Iran Category:Iran in the Iraq War Category:United Kingdom in the Iraq War Category:Torture in the Iraq War Category:Military history of the Indian Ocean