Tell me, how does Iran virtually declare war on England, the EU and NATO by taking British hostages and come out of the mix smelling like roses? Or am I simply wrong by the impression I have that Iran has once again come out on top while taking aggressive action by releasing the British soldiers?
It is certainly true Iran used the hostages as a propoganda tool, and the world likely looks at the way the soldiers were paraded on Iranian television almost daily negatively, however I’m talking more about within Iran. Ahmadinejad, by shaking the hands of all hostages making this his second foray into frolicking with hostages, has now shored up support for his reign from the very group who started to question his rule. Iranian hardliners now saw their leader not step down, but instead England and thus the perception of the collective West has once again appeared weak in the face of adversity.
Could it be true that because of this entire incident England and the EU might take a more firm stance against Iran in the future?
Panther6170 - 
Tom Killebrew - 
Emm Bayoumi - 
lyndsey -
I heard Tony Blair say something profound at the press conference anouncing the captives’ return the other day; it sheds light on what I think may be the purpose behind the whole affair.
Blair described remaining calm during the cris and then said, “We did not negotiate, nor did we confront.” In other words, we did nothing.
This is exactly what the Mullas or Ahmadinajad or whoever is in charge there want the western world to do regarding all of the issues in the current standoff: Terrorism in Iraq, Hezballah, and especially the nuclear issue. The message is – sit back, do nothing and you will be rewarded. The way Britain handled the hostage crisis is exactly the way Iran wants the world to handle their uranium enrichment program.
Don’t confront, no need to negotiate, Iran is in control and will make everything alright in the end. And, you’re right, it does enforce his standing as “cock of the rock” amongst all the zealots in the middle east. I prefer to think of him as just the “cock” however.
Comment by Jimmy the Dhimmi — Thursday, April 5, 2007 @ 7:45 am UTC