The Telegraph reveals what went on behind scenes to secure the release of those British sailors who were seized in Iraqi waters by Iran. Secret talks between Sir Nigel Sheinwald, the Prime Minister's foreign policy adviser, and Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's national security council and chief negotiator on nuclear issues, brought it off.
After this COBRA meeting, the Foreign Office began the first of many efforts to get in touch with Iran through diplomatic channels. This proved to be immensely difficult. Mrs Beckett rang Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, but he appeared to know little about the situation.
The same went for Teheran's Ambassador in London, Rasoul Movahedian Attar. Britain's own Ambassador in Iran, Geoffrey Adams, was charged with contacting the Teheran regime.
Yet officials and ministers avoided him, saying they were on holiday for the Persian new year. For the first five or six days of the crisis, Britain was unable to have any substantive contacts with Iran.
"Everybody went to ground," said a senior British source. "There was a very real feeling that nobody had a handle on it, nobody was in charge."
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