VARIOUS: Iran's military says British naval personnel seized in the Gulf have confessed to entering its waters illegally

Iran's military says that British naval personnel seized in the Gulf confessed to entering its waters illegally, but Britain maintains they were detained inside Iraqi territory. Iran's military said on Saturday (March 24) that British naval personnel seized in the Gulf confessed to entering its waters illegally, but Britain maintained they were detained inside Iraqi territory. Iranian forces captured 15 British sailors and marines on Friday (March 23) at the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which marks the southern stretch of Iraq's border with Iran, sparking a diplomatic crisis at a time of increased tension over Tehran's nuclear stand-off with the United States and other major powers. The semi-official Fars news agency said they had been transferred to Tehran to explain their "aggressive action", but this could not be immediately confirmed. Fars also said the Britons included some women. Deputy Commander Alireza Afshar told state television the Britons were in good health but they had confessed to illegally entering Iranian waters. Britain has not released the identities of the personnel, who are based at Davenport in Cheshire. Britain said two boatloads of Royal Navy sailors and marines had searched a merchant vessel on a U.N. approved mission in Iraqi waters when Iranian gunboats encircled and captured them. In London, Britain summoned Iran's ambassador for a meeting on Saturday to demand the immediate release of the naval personnel, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said. It will be the second such meeting in London since Friday's incident. The 27-nation European Union (EU) will also demand later on Saturday that Iran frees them. The crisis is similar to one in 2004 in which eight British servicemen spent three nights in the hands of Revolutionary Guards before being released unharmed. Iran said they had crossed into its waters, which Britain disputed. On Saturday morning Iraqi naval forces were patrolling the Abu Flous port in Shatt al-Arab waterway that separates Iran and Iraq in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. os/

ITN Source | March 24, 2007

Tags:. .european. .demand. .union. .foreign. .royal