>Tehran usually says detained vessels have committed shipping violations. Some have been released only after foreign countries have freed detained Iranian ships.
So there is the bargaining chip. Sounds like the Iranians are claiming violations in order to get their ships freed that have been detained. The real question is why are the Iranian ships being detained by foreign countries? Are they violating some type of law or are they being unfairly targeted? Seems they are more interested in rattling sabres then discussing why their ships have been detained. Propaganda so far, they need to clarify.