The victory for Iran in this is not in giving up the hostages without being attacked. The points they scored are PR ones: they had western prisoners, ostensibly from a coalition that represents a threat to their country, and instead of sticking them in a Guantanamo type prison in orange jumpsuits and waterboarding them for information on British security procedures....
They gave them new suits, put them in a nice hotel room, and let them play chess and write letters home while the diplomatic wrangling went on, and then sent them home first class with bags of treats from Iran after a personal, friendly meeting with the President of the country.
The message they're sending is: Who is uncivilized and barbarous in the way it treats others? And they did it well, regardless of the fact that no one thinks this represents a new imprisonment policy for dissidents and other foreigners throughout Iran.
from the Brits in question:
Capt. Christopher Air of the British Royal Marines said they had "feared the worst" during their captivity when they had been bound, blindfolded and lined up against a wall while they heard the sound of weapons being cocked. "There was a lot of trickery and mind games being played," he said.
...
We were blindfolded, our hands were bound, we were forced up against the wall. Throughout our ordeal we faced constant psychological pressure.
Later, we were stripped and dressed in pyjamas. The next few nights were spent in stone cells approximately 8ft by 6ft, sleeping on piles of blankets.
All of us were kept in isolation. We were interrogated most nights and presented with two options.
If we admitted we had strayed, we would be back on a plane to the UK pretty soon. If we didn't, we faced up to seven years in prison.
...
