Not the best way to solve a dispute

The Iranian hostage crisis is escalating. The seizure of 15 British marines and sailors in the Shatt Al Arab waterway, in itself a serious issue, took an ominous turn with the "parading" of leading crew member Faye Turney on Iranian television. Turney "admitted" the British had trespassed into Iranian waters. Iran must understand that showing the captives was wrong. Whatever the reasons for seizing the marines and sailors, and the grid co-ordinates that the Iranians initially provided showed that the seizure took place inside Iraqi waters, putting the captives on television was reprehensible. This has done serious damage to Iran's international reputation at a time when Tehran is in need of support.

There are already deep suspicions in the West regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions, so this latest episode does nothing but strengthen those suspicions. The British sailors were operating under a UN Security Council resolution which renewed the mandate of the multinational force last year and is binding on all UN members including Iran. The hardliners in Iran, presumably supportive of the seizure, are providing the neoconservatives in Washington with a wish list. The sailors and marines should be released and diplomacy, not television, must be the chosen method of communication.