Britons Speak Publicly on Captivity in Iran

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Iran Frees Captured Britons
British marines and sailors held captive for nearly two weeks in Iran land back home in London on April 5, 2007.

Responding to public criticism of their actions from some quarters in Britain, Air said, "From the outset, it was very apparent that fighting back was simply not an option. Had we chosen to do so, then many of us would not be standing here today. . . . We were not prepared to fight a heavily armed force, who, in our impression, came out deliberately into Iraqi waters to take us prisoner."

Citing the British forces' rules of engagement, Air added, "By the time the true intent of the Iranians had become apparent and we could have legitimately fought back, it was too late for action."

Said Carman, "Let me make absolutely clear: Irrespective of what has been said in the past, when we were detained by the . . . Iranian Revolutionary Guard, we were inside internationally recognized Iraqi territorial waters, and I can clearly state we were 1.7 nautical miles from Iranian waters."

As for criticism that the Cornwall failed to provide adequate protection, Carman said the frigate was there to "guard the vital oil platforms and command the coalition forces." The ship physically could not have been closer to the boarding team because the water in the area was too shallow, he said.

The 26-year-old Royal Navy lieutenant said that when the 15 were brought to the Iranian shore, they were subjected to repeated interrogations. "The questions were aggressive and the handling rough, but it was no worse than that," he said.

But after they were moved to a prison in Tehran the next day, "the atmosphere changed completely," Carman said.

"We were blindfolded, our hands were bound, we were forced up against a wall," he said. "Throughout our ordeal we faced constant psychological pressure."

He said they were later stripped and given pajamas. "The next few nights were spent in stone cells approximately eight feet by six, sleeping on piles of blankets," he said.

"All of us were kept in isolation," Carman said. "We were interrogated most nights and presented with two options. If we admitted that we'd strayed, we'd be back on a plane to the U.K. pretty soon. If we didn't, we faced up to seven years in prison. We all, at one time or another, made a conscious decision to make a controlled release of nonoperational information."

Carman said the 15 were "kept in isolation until the last few nights when we were allowed to gather for a few hours together, in the full glare of Iranian media."

He said video of them playing chess and socializing, as shown on Iranian television, "was very much a stunt for Iranian propaganda."

Air said in response to a question that the worst moment for the group was probably the incident when they were lined up against a wall at the prison in Tehran. But he said it was not an actual mock execution.

"I think some of us feared the worst when we were in that situation, hearing weapons being cocked and not having any awareness, being blindfolded and our hands bound," the 25-year-old Royal Marine captain said.

Air was also asked about a report that he had told a British television news crew before the group was captured that they were involved in gathering intelligence on Iran. Air said his comment "was taken slightly out of context." He said the ship his group inspected had been boarded several weeks before by the Revolutionary Guard, which he said has sometimes dragged vessels into Iranian territory, robbing, beating and detaining the crew.

"The intelligence I was referring to is more sort of general information and situational awareness of the activities in the Gulf region, i.e., the Iraqi waters," Air said. "We obviously have several different types of vessels and activity going on there, fishing and tankers. And I just meant we wanted to see things from the Iranian point of view as well, because they do spend quite a lot of time in Iraqi waters."

Branigin reported from Washington.