US offered military assistance to Brits to help free captives

Guardian:

The US offered to take military action on behalf of the 15 British sailors and marines held by Iran, including buzzing Iranian Revolutionary Guard positions with warplanes, the Guardian has learned.

In the first few days after the captives were seized and British diplomats were getting no news from Tehran on their whereabouts, Pentagon officials asked their British counterparts: what do you want us to do? They offered a series of military options, a list which remains top secret given the mounting risk of war between the US and Iran. But one of the options was for US combat aircraft to mount aggressive patrols over Iranian Revolutionary Guard bases in Iran, to underline the seriousness of the situation.

The British declined the offer and said the US could calm the situation by staying out of it. London also asked the US to tone down military exercises that were already under way in the Gulf. Three days before the capture of the 15 Britons , a second carrier group arrived having been ordered there by president George Bush in January. The aim was to add to pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme and alleged operations inside Iraq against coalition forces.

At the request of the British, the two US carrier groups, totalling 40 ships plus aircraft, modified their exercises to make them less confrontational.

The British government also asked the US administration from Mr Bush down to be cautious in its use of rhetoric, which was relatively restrained throughout.

The incident was a reminder of how inflammatory the situation in the Gulf is. According to some US and British officers, there is already a proxy war under way between their forces and elements of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

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A senior Iranian source with close ties to the Revolutionary Guard, told the Guardian: "If this had been between Iranian and American soldiers it could have been the beginning of an accidental war."

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That is probably why they did not try this stunt with Americans.

It is interesting that the exercises in the Gulf were actually toned down. The Guardian says it sources told them that this was a local action and that it took almost two weeks to pull all the actors together and get a decision. I remain skeptical. It took place after a Russian paper said the US was planning an attack in a matter of days and this story was repeated in the Israeli media. It also took place only days before the second carrier battle group hit the Gulf.

It makes more sense that they feared an attack and were going to use the hostages as human shields or as bargaining chips. It also does not make sense that a local decision would result in the captives being immediately flow to Tehran. That is inconsistent with a local decision.