03/24/2007
Iran on Saturday insisted that 15 British sailors it seized had illegally entered Iranian waters, denouncing what it called a "blatant aggression." The Britons were being taken to the capital for questioning, Iranian media reported.
Iran's tough comments came after Britain demanded the return of the sailors and denied they had strayed into Iranian waters while searching for smugglers off Iraq's coast.
The eight Royal Navy sailors and seven Royal Marines had just searched a merchant ship when they and their two inflatable boats were intercepted by Iranian vessels Friday at around 10:30 a.m. near the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway, U.S. and British officials said. The Iranian vessels surrounded them and escorted them away at gunpoint.
Iran's semi-official news agency, Fars, reported that the 15 Britons have been transferred to the capital Tehran "to explain their aggressive action." There was no immediate official confirmation of the move.
The agency said the 15 included "some women." In Britain, officials told the Press Association news agency that at least one woman was among the group.
The incident came at a time of heightened tensions over Tehran's nuclear ambitions and allegations that Iran is arming Shiite Muslim militias in Iraq, but Britain was treating it as a mistake rather than a provocation.
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