"They boarded a vessel that may or may not have been in Iranain or Iraqi waters.Knowing well that the border was disputed & that they were on the fine line of it."

According to all parties, the position of the ship was clearly within Iraqi waters. No maybes.


Sitting in your livingroom, you are within 1.7 km of the property boundary. Does this give me the right to come into your house, and kidnap you?

You chose to be within 1.7 km of the property line, after all.


Check back for earlier posts by others with the UN resolution that the Brits were acting under. THAT is the mandate, not the resolution about the kidnapping. Having participated in the invasion, there are certain responsibilities that the UN requires of the occupying powers.
Refusal to act upon those responsibilities IS in violation of the UN resolution.

The Iranians acted in an illegal manner, EVEN if the Brits had been in Iranian waters. International law does not allow the capture of military personnel except during declared war, only the escorting of them out of the disputed area.

In addition, it was NOT the Iranian ARMED forces, but the Revolutionary Guard, which is NOT under military control. Their actions against the hostages were in violation of the Geneva conventions, had this been in wartime.