British boats seized
The week's news at a glance.
Shatt al-Arab, Iran
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard captured three British naval vessels this week and arrested their crews for allegedly straying into Iranian waters. The three boats were on a routine patrol of the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which marks part of the border between Iran and Iraq. Iran said it would release the eight sailors once it was satisfied that the incursion was unintentional. In the meantime, it milked the arrests for full propaganda value, showing one of the sailors on Iranian state television saying, “I do apologize for entering Iranian territorial waters.” British diplomats tried to downplay widespread media speculation that the arrests were Iran’s way of getting back at Britain for having co-sponsored an International Atomic Energy Agency resolution criticizing Iran’s nuclear efforts.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Today's political cartoons - December 10, 2023
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Trump makes a promise, Santa slips up, and more
By The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: December 10, 2023
Daily Briefing Fighting continues across Gaza Strip as Israeli tanks reach city center, University of Pennsylvania president resigns after antisemitism testimony, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Death in rural France: a murder that inflamed a nation
Under the radar
By The Week UK Published