Barring a surprise early release, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is preparing to go public in Parliament as soon as today with concrete evidence that Iran violated international law in seizing 15 British military personnel, after behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts failed, according to British and U.S. officials.Tensions over the incident escalated Tuesday, with oil prices hitting a six-month high following suggestions by officials in Tehran that the 15 sailors and marines captured by Iranian Revolutionary Guards naval units on Friday might be put on trial. Adding to the atmospherics, two U.S. aircraft-carrier battle groups began two days of military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf.
Blair is expected to release Global Positioning System coordinates of the seizure, which British officials say took place in Iraqi waters, and other intelligence information on the encounter as early as his question-and-answer session in Parliament today, British officials said.
"What we are trying to do ... is to pursue this through the diplomatic channels and make the Iranian government understand these people have to be released and that there is absolutely no justification whatever for holding them," Blair said Tuesday.
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