Iran feels too comfortable to be able to directly provoke the west by repeated acts of war.

Its nice to use soft power when appropriate and when it works it saves allot of trouble on all sides, but there is a time when the best response is force. Why not go to war over 15 hostages? Its the new morality of the 21st century. If its an act of war no mater the scale its war and it on.

Iran thinks it has the UK by the balls and if the UK gives any appeasement or concessions then it validates the actions of thugs.

It's a good thing that the UK would never give the aggressors what they want. Other states might pay bribes but not the UK.

The UK needs to turn the tables some how so that Iran will want a way out of it, and Iran releases the hostages.

If soft power fails, why not make a huge threat? You have boomers; have one surface so Iran can see how close it is.
They will get the message that you are holding the nuclear gun in there face.

I know it all sounds barbaric but thats the kind of world we live in. Robert Moses said it best, "If the ends don't justify the means, then what the Hell does?!"