I know all this is just deadly serious, and I don’t want to downplay any of the anguish of the familes of the British sailors, nor in fact the concerns of Iranians regarding sovereign waters, etc., but the stories out of Iran today are just flat-out strange.
From The Guardian:
In a surprise announcement during a news conference at the presidential palace in Tehran, Mr Ahmadinejad said the 14 men and one woman would be “going back home” in a move marking the birthday of the prophet Muhammad last Saturday and acknowledging Easter.
The story goes on to describe some lighthearted kibitzing between the President and the captive sailors on the steps of the palace, and includes the details of what the sailors were wearing:
Dressed in grey suits, apart from the sole female captive, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, who was wearing a striped top and a headscarf, they appeared delighted.
Do they get to keep the suits, because presumably they weren’t wearing them when their ship was boarded?