In the final chapter of Iranian Propaganda Stunt 2007, the 15 British sailors held captive… In the final chapter of Iranian Propaganda Stunt 2007, the 15 British sailors held captive by the Iranian government for nearly two weeks were released as a “present to the British people.”

The decision to release the sailors was announced at a press conference Wednesday by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, following a tirade against Western policies and an award ceremony which granted medals to the Iranian coast guard commanders who initially detained the British naval personnel.

The Iranian government claims that the British sailors, who were inspecting ships in the Persian Gulf near the territorial waters of Iran and Iraq, had “invaded” Iranian waters, while British Prime Minister Tony Blair insists that the sailors were safely within Iraqi territory, according to The Washington Post.

The incident has been well documented in the media, with Iranian TV stations releasing several videos and signed letters from the soldiers, apologizing for entering into Iranian territory and recounting the graciousness of their hosts.

Following the press conference, Ahmadinejad was shown chumming around with the British soldiers, talking casually, shaking hands and accepting compliments, including, “Your people have been very kind to us, and we appreciate it very much.”

As of Thursday, none of the sailors had made any public statements regarding their time spent in Iran after returning to Britain. Until the sailors speak out publicly, it will be impossible to determine whether their acts of gratitude were sincere or simply the result of pressure by the Iranian government to put on a happy face.

Most likely, the Iranian government staged the incident as a tool of propaganda, hoping to use it as leverage with the United Nations and Western nations and to show other countries its “generosity.”

Iran’s decision to detain the sailors for nearly two weeks was an overreaction, especially since Britain and Iran are not at war with one another. But the detainment did pose an opportunity for Britain and Iran to create a dialogue, one that neither country chose to pursue.

Two weeks of media-hype later, both countries are left virtually where they started and possibly with more issues between them. The incident, while overblown and unnecessary, could have provided an opportunity for the two countries to begin communicating with each other. Instead, Ahmadinejad and Blair refused to negotiate and let the incident become a media game.

If the two countries were willing to negotiate, incidents like this wouldn’t happen in the first place. Ignoring diplomacy for too long can be dangerous and can make it incredibly hard to get anything done in dire situations.

It is unfortunate that the British sailors were held captive for merely crossing into Iranian waters, but it is even more unfortunate that Iran and Britain passed an opportunity to finally begin a dialogue with each other.