Yes, at first I was wondering if it was just a sort of miscommunication, where somebody at a lower level got carried away. But somehow, I don't think that's how Iran does things. One of the articles mentioned that the sailors were seized by the "Revolutionary Guards," so I think the order would have to come from higher up the food chain.
There would be some kind of time limit. If it goes beyond that the situation would become much worse. Don't know if it is 24 hours or 72, but things have to move right along or an assumption will have to be made in London.