This move by Iran should help ease tensions: Not

The BBC reports that fifteen British sailors on routine patrol in the Persian Gulf were captured at gunpoint this morning by Iranian forces when they boarded a boat they suspected was smuggling cars.

The frigate's commander, Commodore Nick Lambert, said he was hoping there had been a "simple mistake" over territorial waters."There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that they [British personnel] were in Iraqi territorial waters. Equally, the Iranians may claim they were in Iranian territorial waters. "We may well find that this is a simple misunderstanding at the tactical level."...

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett summoned the Iranian ambassador in London to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in an attempt to negotiate the men's release. There has been no immediate response so far from Iran, where many ministries and official buildings were closed for a public holiday.

As the BBC goes on to suggest, this couldn't have happened at a worse time:

The incident comes at a time of renewed tensions with Iran over its nuclear programme, which Western powers fear could be used to develop a nuclear weapon. British Army Colonel Justin Maciejewski, who is based in Iraq, said most of the violence against UK forces in Basra is being engineered by Iranian elements.