Breaking: Iran to release UK sailors

Via Raw Story, CNN reports that Iran is releasing the 15 UK sailors they've been holding:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced in a press conference today that he would grant an amnesty to the 15 British marines and sailors who were detained while patrolling the Shatt-al-Arab waterway, according to a breaking report on CNN.

A translation of Ahmadinejad's remarks showed him calling on British authorities to avoid prosecuting the sailors and marines for what he referred to as "telling the truth" in Iranian broadcasts about the circumstances of their detention.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour stated they will be released at the end of the press conference in Iran.

I have a feeling that there will be a night and day contrast between the way we treat our captives and the way the Iranians treated these guys. From what I can tell, apart from putting them on TV and forcing "confessions," they seem to have been well treated. Maybe they'll tell a different story when they get out, but I doubt it. Meanwhile, we torture our captives, hold them in solitary confinement, don't allow them communications with anyone, etc.

Now, to be fair, there is one difference. Iran took these people as show pieces. They knew they were going to release them sooner or later, so it's in their interest to treat them pretty well. Had they intended to keep them forever, as we seem to intend for our captives, I doubt they would have been well treated in Iran either. But, then, why are we down there competing with the Iranians for the best bad guy?