AFP: US Offered to Scare Iran

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US offered to scare Iran

Sat Apr 7, 12:16 PM ET

LONDON (AFP) - The United States reportedly offered to mount aggressive air patrols over Revolutionary Guards bases during Iran's stand-off with Britain but was rebuffed by London.

Citing unnamed diplomatic sources, The Guardian newspaper said that Pentagon officials offered a series of military options, but Britain told them to keep out of the affair and instead tone down armed forces activity in the Gulf.

One of the options involved combat aircraft patrolling over Iranian bases to show how serious the incident was, the newspaper said in a front page story.

On March 20, three days before the 15 British marines were seized at gunpoint in the Gulf, a second US aircraft carrier group arrived in the region.

At London's request, the two carrier groups, totalling 40 ships plus aircraft, changed their exercises to make them appear less confrontational, the newspaper said.

Britain also asked the United States to ensure it kept the rhetoric low-key, The Guardian said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070407/pl_afp/iranbritainmilitaryus_070407161616