'The ship's commander had to call back to England for permission and it wasn't granted. Furthermore, the sailors and marines in the rubber boats were unarmed.'
Incorrect. The Marines in the party were fully armed, the sailors who search the ships were not. The Commander of HMS Cornwall had to contact the US commander of the gulf task group to ask permission, US Navy Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, who denied it just as it was denied when Iran took US soldiers in 2003.
Thanks. The info that has been published here indicated that the sailors and Marines were unarmed and the ship's commander actually had to call Whitehall, not the US commander. But as I say, information has been sketchy at best here, except for jerks like Rosie O'Donnell who emerged immediately with Iranian-sponsored disinformation.