Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, seen here in March 2007, has opened a news conference by launching an attack on the UN Security Council for failing to prevent bloodshed in the Middle East and the "occupation" of Iraq.(AFP/File/Atta Kenare)
It looks like ol' Maddy-jab's press conference in Iran is starting, per Fox News. I'll keep an eye on the transcripts, when they're available, and will provide details shortly.
Update: In order to reduce clutter, I'll be tracking updates on the extended version of this story.
Elsewhere: The Jawa Report, Jules Crittenden, Right Wing News, A Blog for All, Wizbang, Pajamas Media, Captains Quarters, Kamangir/کمانگیر, Hot Air, Gateway Pundit, Michelle Malkin, Sweetness & Light, Blue Crab Boulevard, Powerline, Ace of Spades, Instapundit, Myrtus, EU Referendum.
You might also want to see the latest news with the missing American in Iran, who has now been identified as a former FBI agent and counterfeiting expert.
"I announce that the great people of Iran and the Islamic Republic, even having legal rights to try these military people, in honor of the prophet's birthday, will be freed as a gift to the people of the United Kingdom," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to reporters, clerics and civil servants in a small hall in Tehran.
In response to a reporter's question, Ahmadinejad said the British troops would be freed at the end of the press conference.
In a long and rambling speech, Ahmadinejad decried the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 as being based on the lie that the country had weapons of mass destruction. He said that although Iraq now had an elected government, "the occupation forces continue to stay there and people are still being killed."
"Could the Security Council have stopped the invasion? And can it punish the aggressor now?" he asked rhetorically.
Will Mahmoud keep his word? Who knows. If he's the pious and religious man that the moonbats claim he is, then of course he will.
I mean, dictators never lie, do they?
More on this situation as it develops.
Oh, by the way... My favourite former spy has some background on what might have really been driving Iran to pull such an insane stunt.
And I bet you didn't know that George W. Bush and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are both teetotaling Freemasons. Heh, I sure am glad that the
... or maybe, they're both eeeeeevil cattle ranchers!
As of 13:41, it is still unclear where the 15 sailors are. There was a meeting on television with them and the Iranian president, but I haven't heard anything of their whereabouts since. Were they released to the airport? The British Embassy? We'll just have to wait and see.
