In a performance worthy of the Oscar, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pardoned the 15 innocent British sailors and said they can go free.
In other words, Iran blinked.
It's not particularly surprising. The seizure of the sailors who were clearly in Iraqi water doing things they were supposed to be doing has scandalized and united the western world in a way not seen much these days.
Ahmadinejad had to do something quick before the United States pledged military support to free the sailors, so he came up with this "gesture."
An Iranian diplomat in London told The Associated Press that the 15 would be handed over to the British Embassy in Tehran. It is unclear when that handover would take place.
According to the president's office, the Britons will leave Tehran at 8 a.m. Thursday.
Captain Ed has this analysis:
Ahmadinejad makes the most out of the reversal. Facing the threat of a blockade if Iran pressed this any further, he gets to look magnanimous while still maintaining the notion that he could have tried the sailors for espionage, even while dressed in uniform. It's a net win, allowing the Iranians to feel as though they won a tactical victory while avoiding having to back up their rhetoric with action.
Whether this is a win for Tony Blair remains to be seen. He stuck with negotiations and got the 15 back, and he didn't have to apologize for a violation that never occurred. On the surface, it looks great -- an end to the crisis without a shot being fired. It's what happened below the surface and behind the scenes that will determine how Blair fared against Ahmadinejad. What did the British have to give up in order to get their personnel back?
It's curious, since we don't know what the British gave up. So far, the U.S. has given up nothing, although there's talk that the Iranians have requested to meet with the Iranian detainees we hold. So far, I've not seen anything saying that the State Department has agreed to that.
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