Breaking: Iran to release captured UK sailors

The AP is reporting:

TEHRAN, Iran – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Wednesday that his government would release the detained 15 British sailors and marines as a gift to the British people.

He pardoned the sailors and announced their release minutes after he gave medals of honor to the Iranian coast guards who intercepted the sailors and marines, saying Iran will never accept trespassing of its territorial waters.

Ahmeanie used the occassion to gloat as well as take a few jabs at the west:

He then interrupted his speech and pinned medals on the chests of three Coast Guard officers involved in capturing the British sailors and marines in the northern Gulf on March 23.

“We are sorry that British troops remain in Iraq and their sailors are being arrested in Iran,” Ahmadinejad said.

He criticized Britain for deploying Leading Seaman Faye Turney, one of the 15 detainees, in the Gulf, pointing out that she is a woman with a child.

“How can you justify seeing a mother away from her home, her children? Why don’t they respect family values in the West?” he asked of the British government.

Ugh. It goes without saying to note that having this genocidal maniac lecture the west about values of any kind is repulsive, considering the kind of ‘values’ which are taught in Iran.

Speculation time: What brought on the release of the sailors? British PM Tony Blair said yesterday that the next 48 hours would be ‘fairly critical’, so do you think some sort of back door deal was arranged?

MSNBC is also reporting, with no link as of yet:

Ahmadinejad open to U.S. diplomatic ties if administration changes stance

Heh. That’ll be the day.

Let’s just hope CIC wannabe Pelosi and her ‘delegation’ don’t take it upon themselves to try and re-open those ‘diplomatic ties’ over the admininstration’s objections to having a relationship with Iran.