I've stayed fairly quiet recently because I've been busy with other things, but every now and then something comes up which means I have to take time out and write about them.

This story about the sailors taken hostage by Iran is one of them.

Until last Friday, the story played out pretty well how I would have expected it to. After the sailors were taken, the British media published every manner of emotive crap they could dream up to keep the story alive. Diplomatically, deals were obviously being done to bring about their release, but the government has been pretty tightlipped about what those deals were.

What was conceded to Iran to get them to let those sailors go? Its a side issue to this story, but its not one which seems to have been followed up, or at the very least widely reported. Make no mistake about it, Iran was unlikely to have given the sailors up easily, especially given the circumstances of their capture and subsequent imprisonment.