It's been over a week since Iran seized, what is it, 12? British soldiers off a ship Iran claims was in their waters. I am of course disinclined to believe them. The news is saying that they actually revised the coordinates they gave first, after realizing that the first coordinates they gave were actually in Iraqi rather than Iranian waters! Oops! It's frustrating to be so certain that they are lying through their teeth... knowing that they are beaming propagandistic sound bites to their people to where they all are sure that the British (which of course mindlessly blurs into Americans) are lying.
Of course to be objective we can't rule out the possibility that the British government might lie. From all appearances, the British appear to have done an excellent job in Basra.
So far, the public statements of the British have seemed unprovocative. I have admired them for that. The frontal approach doesn't give the Iranians a way out with their honor intact, and honor/shame cultures often prefer to die than be shamed.
In comes Bush today. I don't know how he said it, but the news at least has reported a somewhat ultimatum-ish statement by him. Of course none of us knows what is going on behind the scenes, but I hope the British government was okay with it. Maybe they wanted him to do it.
But I doubt anyone will get the Iranians to admit they made a mistake unless they can do it and keep face. The most likely peaceful solution is to find a way for them to release the prisoners without admitting they did wrong or made a mistake, yet without the British backing off from the truth either.
Unless, of course, one or both sides wants a war!
