Word: personnel
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...incident had been based on a misunderstanding over where Iran's waters begin and end, it might be expected to follow the trajectory of a similar episode in 2004, in which eight British personnel were released by Iran on the fourth day of their captivity. But on Day 4 of this particular crisis, it's far from clear that a similar course will be followed: Iranian officials have even floated the possibility of putting the captive Brits on trial for illegally entering Iranian territory. At the same time, Tehran is leaving itself room to back down by announcing that...
Looking for clues as to whether the standoff over Iran's nuclear program will lead to a military confrontation? You'll probably find more in how the case of the 15 British Navy personnel seized by Iran last Friday plays out than in the diplomatic process that on Saturday resulted in a mild increase in sanctions against Tehran...
...relatively low-key British response thus far resonates with the fact that London, unlike Washington, has ruled out the option of military action for dealing with Iran's nuclear program. By contrast, if the Iranians had captured U.S. personnel, it's not hard to imagine (particularly given the legacy of the 1979 hostage crisis) that the crisis would have an altogether more cataclysmic ring; indeed, a senior U.S. commander working alongside the British forces in the region told a British newspaper that U.S. troops caught in a similar situation would not have surrendered to the Iranians without a fight...
...number of Middle East analysts have also suggested that Iran may be intending to use the British personnel as a bargaining chip to seek the release of a number of Iranian officials currently being held by the U.S. inside Iraq. If so, that might prove to be a reckless gamble, precisely because the Bush Administration has demonstrated a far greater appetite for confrontation with Iran - as suggested by the capture of Iranian operatives in Iraq in the first place...
...Czech parliament approves plans to deploy a U.S. missile shield facility in the nearby hills, U.S. personnel are unlikely to be welcomed as the Red Army once was. The village that has yet to shake off its Brezhnev Village nickname is hardly ready to be dubbed Bush Town...