Don’t Bomb Iran

Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, a US group of ex-intell analysts and diplomats formed in response to the fiasco of pre-Iraq intelligence lies, have picked up the UK ambassador’s warning of dangers in the current frenzy about the alleged ‘kidnapping’of fifteen UK troops.   They agree there is no formal border where the incident happened, citing also the British commander of the operation on which the Marines were captured: “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that they were in Iraqi territorial waters. Equally, the Iranians may well claim that they were in their territorial waters. The extent and definition of territorial waters in this part of the world is very complicated”. They warn about Blair’s “poodlism” to Bush and the increasing chance of a major war that would ”make Iraq seem like a minor skirmish”.

Their full letter “Brinkmanship Unwise in Uncharted Waters” is here