It’s amazing what can happen when a bit of actual diplomacy is exercised between nations:

TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Iran would free the 15 detained British sailors and marines as a gift to the British people.

He pardoned the sailors and announced they would be released following a news conference at which he pinned a medal on the chest of the Iranian coast guard commander who intercepted the sailors and marines in the northern Gulf on March 23…

There’s little doubt that a lot of back room diplomatic maneuvers have been happening since the time the U.K. sailors were detained by Iran. In the fog of war, we’ll never know the entire story, or even if the sailors were in Iranian territorial water. Over the past few days, the Bush regime has stated unequivocally that negotiations for the sailor’s release was not linked to any ongoing talks over the nuclear standoff. Yet, an Iranian diplomat kidnapped in Baghdad a few months back by guys in Iraqi military uniforms (under very murky circumstances) was released yesterday.

The bottom line is that talking works. It always has. In tense international situations, everyone has to be given the opportunity to “save face”, and exercise a little quid pro quo. That’s how nations exit potentially explosive situations without bombs actually, you know, exploding.

Congrats to the diplomats on both sides who brought this situation to an acceptable resolution.

Update: Things that make you go, hmmmmmm….moments after posting this article, which I posted moments after the news broke, the following entry popped into the site log: