In 2007, fifteen Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel were detained by the Iranian government after their vessel was seized by the Iranian Navy. They were released within a few weeks of being detained in our timeline.
What if they had not been released? I'm not talking about them being executed, but what if they each receive lengthy prison sentences for espionage or a similar crime? I read somewhere that one of the sailors was threatened with a seven-year prison sentence if she did not cooperate.
So what happens if those sailors and marines are given prison terms in Iran? What would be the UK governments' response? I think that a prison sentence for the detained British personnel would put the British government in a very difficult position; a military rescue mission would be nearly impossible, and there is a limit to what the government can offer in terms of negotiations comparatively to what Iran would ask for.
Would the British government ultimately allow the sailors and marines to serve prison sentences in Iran, or would it threaten military action to release them?
As for the motivations of the Iranian government, consider them to be the same motivations for taking the personnel prisoner in the first place, or additionally as a power move or a way of testing the waters, seeing how far they can push without provoking a serious response.
What if they had not been released? I'm not talking about them being executed, but what if they each receive lengthy prison sentences for espionage or a similar crime? I read somewhere that one of the sailors was threatened with a seven-year prison sentence if she did not cooperate.
So what happens if those sailors and marines are given prison terms in Iran? What would be the UK governments' response? I think that a prison sentence for the detained British personnel would put the British government in a very difficult position; a military rescue mission would be nearly impossible, and there is a limit to what the government can offer in terms of negotiations comparatively to what Iran would ask for.
Would the British government ultimately allow the sailors and marines to serve prison sentences in Iran, or would it threaten military action to release them?
As for the motivations of the Iranian government, consider them to be the same motivations for taking the personnel prisoner in the first place, or additionally as a power move or a way of testing the waters, seeing how far they can push without provoking a serious response.
