House Quiet About Iran Hostage Mess

Washington, March 31--Although the Senate has condemned Iran for its capture of 15 members of the British military, the House has had nothing to say on the matter.

Many congressmen, especially Republicans, such as Charles Dent of Pennsylvania, have expressed dismay at the lack of a response to the matter, but Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made it clear that she believed a statement on the part of congress would not help anything. According to spokesman Brendan Daly, the Pelosi believes that it would not be helpful for congress to become involved in a sticky international issue.

The incident began a week ago on March 31, when 15 British sailors and marines were captured while searching a merchant ship off the coast of Iraq. Since then, videos of the prisoners have been aired, in which they have apologized more or less at gunpoint for entering Iranian waters. Tensions have risen. Tony Blair recently condemned Iran's actions, as has the US Senate, which calls for the prisoners' "immediate, safe, and unconditional release."

For the past year or so, the thought of a possible US war with Iran has been on the back of many minds. Iran, in addition to producing a substantial proportion of the world's oil, controls the Strait of Hormuz, a major Persian Gulf tanker route through which 17 million barrels of crude pass every day. To say that America's interests depend on Iran would be an understatement. Already, tensions resulting from the hostage situation have driven oil prices up by 52 cents a barrel, putting crude over $66.

It makes sense that congress would want to keep a low profile, and it makes sense that the Democrats especially should want to stay out of this issue. After two wars in four years, the Middle East remains a volatile area, and promises only to become more volatile as oil production peaks and oil prices rise. Clearly, with such strong interests in the price of oil as a cheap energy-addicted country like America has, war will not be ruled out when push comes to shove. With America's foreign policy situation already what it is, a third war would be quite a messy one.

And so, although the House of Representatives is heading home for its two week spring break having said nothing on the matter, it remains a dark cloud on the minds of everyone in the political world. Although some are more bold than others, no one particularly feels like poking Iran with a stick.

Sources:

http://www.time.com http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54956
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/uk-softens-rhetoric-in-iranian-conflict/20070401-5d7.html