The detention of 15 British Sailors and Royal Marines by the Iranian government has created a lot of media coverage due to its high profile nature. The question of the matter is what the Iranian government is trying to accomplish by doing this. The Iranian foreign minister claimed that the British had violated their borders six times and finally decided to capture them and put an end to it, the truthfulness of which British officials dispute. There is also a worldwide outcry against Iran, who seems to be on a mission to upset the countries allied with the United States in Iraq. The British even asked the UN Security Council to issue a statement that would deplore the actions of Iran, but apparently it may face some trouble from Russia and others that believe the Iranians. The Iranians appear to be attempting to show that they can do what they please and the US and Britain can’t or won’t do anything about it, but it appears that Britain may be prepared to take further action (to a “different phase”) if the Iranians will not comply with their request for the release of all of the troops.
The Iranians have been airing video of the captured British sailors and marines on their national TV station and clips of these have been played on many news networks around the United States and the world. These show some of the sailors confessing their crimes and speaking of how well they were being treated, which they were undoubtedly forced to say. The broadcast of these videos have upset people within the British government, who have called for them to be stopped immediately. It is unclear if Iran is simply acting tough or trying to provoke a war, but hopefully it is the former rather than the latter.
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