This seems to indicate that the British are the new "French".
If I were Britain I would have done something by now. The commander of the Cornwall would be relieved of duty. Britain should have declared war.
The only excuse he could have is that his superiors ordered him to hold his position. Although at that point he should have recalled his boats. He may have tried to do that. They did report that they lost communication with the boarding party. I'm not sure why that would have happened, radio waves travel well over watter. Maybe their communications were actively jammed.
If that were the case, he should have immediately gone and gotten his people.
The Iranian ships should not have gotten anywhere near his boarding party without him positioning his frigate between them.
Somebody screwed up badly.
Britain should have declared war.
And we should live up to our NATO obligations and follow their lead.
Are you for real. When US civilian naval advisors were detained by the Iranians on Iraqi naval vessels did the US declare war? No.
Nobody is going to start a shooting war in regards to such incidents. Nothing is going to put in harm the captured sailors and marines.