I know that comment was off the wall in a fantasy context but all I see is Iran giving us orders, we the US and Britain cannot be manipulated even if it means sacrificing lives. Yes this sounds also like a jimmy Carter monologue but it also does not exclude all out dark-ops.
A combined Delt-SAS contingent goes in Iran, assasinates Irans leaders.
Or better yet we get a modern day "Dirty Dozen" to do it.
I could just imagine MS13 loaded up with modern weapons air dropped in downtown Tehran.
Personally I don't want to put forces on the ground in Iran. I want to bomb the crap out of them if they don't release the sailors, and if they try to cause the Shiite to rebel in Iraq against the Americans, I wouldn't have much of a problem going nuclear.