Britons favor talks over force with Iran

One of Britain's tabloid newspapers on Monday labeled the videotaped confessions of a Royal Navy crew captured by Iran "sickening," asking how much more the country can take from "Iran's evil mullahs."

For many Britons, though, fighting it out with Iran is not a popular option. Despite high frustration, many people seem willing to be patient as the government tries to resolve the crisis over the seizure of the 15 sailors and marines with new diplomatic overtures to Tehran.

"The government are in a very difficult position. It's an act of provocation and it would be very easy to act in an inflammatory way," said 41-year-old stenographer Alan Bell. "I would like to see them out but it will go on for a while. There's a lot of political maneuvering left to do."

Despite the slow progress of the diplomatic efforts _ which include talks with Iranian officials and seeking support from the United Nations and European Union _ the British government has refused to issue a war cry.

It's a sentiment shared by the majority of the public.

In a poll published in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, 66 percent of respondents said they trust Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett to resolve the crisis, while 28 percent did not. Only 7 percent thought the government should be preparing to use military force. The ICM poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The firm interviewed 762 adults by telephone March 30 and 31.

Blair's comments have been reminiscent of the language that helped former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher earn the "Iron Lady" moniker, suggesting what the "Iranians have to realize is that if they continue in this way, they will face increasing isolation."

But Britain's powerful media have been critical of the government's handling of the crisis. The mass circulation newspaper The Sun labeled Beckett's response "feeble."

"Margaret Thatcher and Margaret Beckett share a first name, but that's all," the newspaper said in an editorial. It condemned "Iran's evil mullahs" for "parading two more Brits in sickening TV 'confessions.'"

However, Britain's Conservative opposition has been relatively quiet _ perhaps recognizing the fact that there seems to be little appetite in the country for a second Middle Eastern conflict. Blair, who at 53 probably harbors ambitions that extend beyond his last few months as prime minister, would be reluctant to add another war to his tarnished legacy, said Robert McGeehan of Britain's Chatham House think tank.

"Being the author of a new war, even a limited one _ that would not be a way to further his ambition," he said.

In some quarters, a mixture of sympathy for the crew's plight was mixed with disbelief at the sailors for not putting up a fight.

The Sunday Times said in an editorial that the crew "proved humiliatingly vulnerable to a low-tech Iranian naval maneuver that has produced mocking headlines around the world." It questioned why the crew wasn't more prepared for an Iranian attack and criticized the lack of response from Blair and other officials, saying they had been reduced to the "status of irrelevant foghorns."

"The British lapse was all the more surprising because the same thing happened in June 2004, when eight sailors and marines were seized in the same area and released three days later. The defense ministry compiled a 'lessons learnt' paper to ensure that those mistakes were not repeated," the newspaper said.

The conservative Daily Mail, citing military sources, said the incident exposed "lax procedures" that had bred complacency and allowed the group to be seized near the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway between Iran and Iraq.

Commentators have also asked how it was possible they were captured so close to their frigate HMS Cornwall, which is equipped with radar and has helicopters on board.

But many Britons reserved their harshest criticism for the United States _ their ally in the Iraq war.

"The thing that concerns me is how long will it be before the Americans get involved?" said 40-year-old interior stylist Melinda Ashton-Tanner. "I don't think it's about the British. I have a sense that the Americans would use it as an excuse to get into Iran."

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Associated Press Writers Raphael G. Satter and Tariq Panja contributed to this story.