IRAN:Iranian newspapers wrote gleefully about the release of 15 British sailors and marines, but some moderate dailies questioned Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his handling of the issue.
The conservative Resalat newspaper called the affair "a slap in the face" for "those countries that think they can violate Iran's territory". Other newspapers said the sailors were released only after a written message from London promising not to cross into Iranian territory.
"Britain gave guarantees, soldiers were released," the hardline Jam-e Jam said on its front page.
Britain, which is viewed with a mixture of suspicion and respect in Iran, has stressed that it made no apology to Iran. But that did not stop newspapers from revelling in the outcome of its dispute with a country often referred to as the "little Satan" or "old fox" by hardliners in Iran.
"Iran pardoned British violators" and "Britons freed, crisis defused", other newspapers wrote, alongside pictures of the smiling sailors preparing to head home.
The government-run Iran newspaper said Mr Ahmadinejad's announcement showed that Iran had no intention to create tension but also that "no country could flex its muscles to scare Iran". Iran and the West are at loggerheads over a nuclear programme that Washington says is designed to make bombs.
Tehran denies this. The US favours diplomacy to resolve the issue, but has not ruled out strikes if that fails.
The pro-reform daily Etemad-e Melli welcomed the sailors' release, but said that Mr Ahmadinejad's announcement was "immature", asking whether there was a proper decision-making process.
"It seems that Mr Ahmadinejad wants to be known as an unpredictable president . . . Why did Iran wait so long to pardon the Britons? Is it because some want to prove they are unpredictable?" it wrote.
"When senior British officials offer Iran direct talks to resolve the issue . . . maybe Iran could get some concessions to resolve the problems the country faces."
Mr Ahmadinejad is not Iran's most powerful figure, but analysts and critics say he has helped toughen Iranian policy and raised international anxiety with his anti-western tirades, even though Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holds the ultimate authority.
"The release was a gift from the supreme leader to Mr Ahmadinejad and made him the good cop," said a political analyst.
Mr Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday the release of the British sailors and marines was a "gift" to Britain.
Newspapers did not touch directly on the nuclear dispute, but political analyst Saeed Leylaz cast doubt on whether the release could help end Iran's nuclear standoff with the West. "This will have absolutely no impact on . . . the nuclear issue. Our problem is America," he said. - ( Reuters)