By revealing the evidence backing up its claim that British naval personnel held by Iran did not violate Iranian waters, the British government is trying to put the Iranian government on the defensive.
And by revealing that Iran changed its own claim about where the incident took place, the British are also trying to ridicule the Iranian position.
The British decision to go public with what they had previously presented to the Iranians in private came after the 15 captured sailors and marines remained in Iranian captivity.
British diplomats based in Tehran have been denied a consular visit so far. However, Britain has been assured that the prisoners are well.
In addition, Britain is to freeze contacts with Iran to this single issue.
The first tactic was to offer Iran an easy way out. The Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett gave the co-ordinates of the British sailors to the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and suggested that there might have been a "mistake".
Iranian switch
Iran at first offered a different co-ordinate and then, when it was pointed out that even this was in Iraqi waters, another reading was given, this time on the Iranian side.
However the initial quiet and discreet effort led nowhere, so a decision to escalate the issue was taken.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons on Wednesday that it was "now time to ratchet up the diplomatic and international pressure" to show the Iranians that they were isolated.
Mr Blair has worked in particular through the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and is marshalling support from the EU, allies in the Gulf, the UN security council and from Iraq itself.
The United States is adopting a relatively quiet attitude, perhaps by agreement with London that a strong US position against Iran might not help.
And by revealing that Iran changed its own claim about where the incident took place, the British are also trying to ridicule the Iranian position.
The British decision to go public with what they had previously presented to the Iranians in private came after the 15 captured sailors and marines remained in Iranian captivity.
British diplomats based in Tehran have been denied a consular visit so far. However, Britain has been assured that the prisoners are well.
In addition, Britain is to freeze contacts with Iran to this single issue.
The first tactic was to offer Iran an easy way out. The Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett gave the co-ordinates of the British sailors to the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and suggested that there might have been a "mistake".
Iranian switch
Iran at first offered a different co-ordinate and then, when it was pointed out that even this was in Iraqi waters, another reading was given, this time on the Iranian side.
However the initial quiet and discreet effort led nowhere, so a decision to escalate the issue was taken.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons on Wednesday that it was "now time to ratchet up the diplomatic and international pressure" to show the Iranians that they were isolated.
Mr Blair has worked in particular through the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and is marshalling support from the EU, allies in the Gulf, the UN security council and from Iraq itself.
The United States is adopting a relatively quiet attitude, perhaps by agreement with London that a strong US position against Iran might not help.
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