British soldiers released: A sordid truth revealed?

A few days ago, the Iranian goverment released its "prisoners", or whatever status they actually had been given. It was good news, of course, but one cannot help but wonder what made the Iranians carry out this "concession". Many analysts and experts feared a recurrence of the hostage-taking in 1979, when the so-called "Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line" held 63 US diplomats and servicemen in captivity for 444 days. Thankfully, that did not happen this time. In many ways, this current affair resembled the 1979 crisis and as such prompted fear not just in the UK, but also in the EU and USA. The possible linkage to the Iranian nuclear program was a case in point, threatening to complicate and impede a possible diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue.

What made the Iranian goverment release the Britons? Was it due to fear of sanctions and other measures, of retributions from the UK or the US? One can, anyway, rule out the notion that the EU's 'actions' made the Iranians reconsider their position. The Union's response to the whole affair was in the end feeble and half-hearted. Some editorials in Swedish newspapers argued whether the EU's "soft power" could save the day, and resolve the crisis trough diplomacy and "negative sanctions". The lack of sufficient backing for Britain by Union leaders might have revealed a sordid truth, however, that other Member States conceived of the deal as something entirely British, and, as such, a wholly British concern. Is this not exactly what the Maastrich and Amsterdam treaties was meant to prevent and avoid? For the Member States to act "in a spirit of loyalty and mutual solidarity", and "to refrain from action which is contrary to the interests of the Union...".

One cannot help but wonder what actually is in "the interests of the Union", that Member States concern themselves only with matters that are in their interest, setting solidarity aside?

The next time, it might be another Member State that has fallen into trouble of some sort, and thus requires the assistance and full backing of the entire EU. Let's hope for a better response then.