Iran Releases the British Hostages, But Why?

Some folks think that Iran "blinked" and finally released the British hostages due to outside pressure. I disagree. I think the Brits no longer represented any significant propaganda value and it was time to get rid of them. Had they remained in Iran and tempers on both sides continued to rise, there was potential for problems the Iranians couldn't handle.

The British really screwed this thing up as far as I'm concerned, and what Tony Blair does in the next day or so will either fix some of the damage or make it worse. If I were him, as soon as those sailors were safely on British soil, I'd hold a press conference with two goals in mind:

1. I'd make it very clear to the Iranians that what they did was unacceptable. The sailors were in Iraqi waters and were illegally kidnapped. As of this moment, the rules of engagement have been corrected so that if any Iranian forces, air, land or sea, make provocative moves against British forces again, the rule will be "shoot first, clean up the mess later". Getting too close to British forces will result in an immediately face-to-face meeting with Allah.
2. I would start an immediate investigation into the behavior of the sailors while they were in custody. Their TV appearances were embarrassing and absolutely unbecoming a professional military person. Charges should be considered, and retraining of proper conduct if captured should be mandatory for everyone serving under the British flag. Name, rank and serial number does not include televised apologies or Muslim headgear.

Neither will happen, and that's why the British standing in the world has been severely damaged.