Eight British sailors and seven marines held captive.

One intransigent mullahcracy.

A handful of weak sanctions.

One flustered Prime Minister now telling Iran “efforts to secure the release of 15 Royal Navy personnel held by Iran will enter a ‘different phase’ if diplomatic moves fail.”

And from the sidelines: Rosie’s big mouth.

***

Allah: “Blair threatens to move from pleading to cajoling.”

Spoof master Scott Ott on the same wavelength:

Iran announced today that it would release immediately the 15 British soldiers and marines it took hostage last week to avoid further “cordial pressure and devastating pleasantries” from British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

“In this test of wills,” said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, “we acknowledge the superior power of the adversary. We cannot withstand another onslaught of polite diplomatic language nor the withering, if unspoken, consternation we detect in the eyes of Tony Blair.”

Meanwhile, EU Referendum has been asking about the HMS Cornwall.