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The eight sailors and seven marines who were detained by Iranian Revolutionary Guards on March 23 were released and arrived on London on Thursday. On arrival at London’s Heathrow Airport, they were taken by helicopter to a Royal Marine base Chivenor in Devon, where they were reunited with their families and underwent a debriefing and decompression. Tony Blair said that his government did not make a deal with the Iranian regime over the release of the 15 marines. He added his government was not deceived by the Iranian regime and its political games.

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CNN reported from Iraq on Friday April. 6 that an Iranian opposition group based in Iraq, despite being considered terrorists by the United States, continues to receive protection from the American military in the face of Iraqi pressure to leave the country.It's a paradox possible only because the United States considers the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, or MEK, a source of valuable intelligence on Iran. The group is credited with helping expose Iran's secret nuclear program through spying on Tehran for decades. And the group is considered an ally to America because of its opposition to Tehran.However, the U.S. State Department officially considers the MEK a terrorist organization - meaning no American can deal with it; U.S. banks must freeze its assets; and any American giving support to its members is committing a crime.The U.S. military, though, regularly escorts MEK supply runs between Baghdad and its base, Camp Ashraf. "The trips for procurement of logistical needs also take place under the control and protection of the MPs," said Mojgan Parsaii, vice president of MEK and leader of Camp Ashraf.That's because, according to U.S. documents, coalition forces regard MEK as protected people under the Geneva Conventions."The coalition remains deeply committed to the security and rights of the protected people of Ashraf," U.S. Maj. Gen. John D. Gardner wrote in March 2006.The group also enjoys the protection of the International Committee of the Red Cross. "The ICRC has made clear that the residents of Camp Ashraf must not be deported, expelled or repatriated," according to an ICRC letter.Despite repeated requests, neither Iran's ambassador in Baghdad nor the U.S. military would comment on MEK, also known as Mojahedin Khalq Organization, or MKO.But former U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said, "What we have here is a policy that described the people here from the MEK as a protected group, and one of our coalition partner countries is actually protecting them in the camp where they mostly are, but there is no change in our policy, we still regard them as a terrorist organization."When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, Green Berets arrived at Camp Ashraf to find gardens and monuments there, along with more than 2,000 well-maintained tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery, anti-aircraft guns and vehicles.All 3,800 camp residents were questioned by Americans -- including, interestingly, a female tank battalion. No arrests were made, and the camp quickly surrendered under a cease-fire agreement -- an agreement that also guaranteed its safety."Everyone's entry to the camp and his departure are controlled by the U.S. military police force," Parsaii said.