Georgiansilver - Quite the contrary. You are talking like the Brits are innocent victims.

In fact, the boundaries are not clearly established and have been disputed and changed many times. Why were the Brits poking at a hornets nest when they knew that Iran was on edge? As far as rights go, Maybe this boundary dispute should be settled by Iraq and Iran. Its certainly not Britain's decision to establish the boundaries between these two countries. If there was a boundary dispute between Canada and the U.S., do you think we would let Britain determine who was right? No, we would settle it ourselves.

And yes, I think it is absolutely acceptable to apologize for confusion regarding territorial boundaries at sea under these unusual circumstances. The sooner the better.