Blair: Seizure of UK troops by Iran 'very serious'

[Christoph]

• NEW: Prime Minister Tony Blair says seizure of British troops 'very serious'
• Iran claims 15 British sailors and marines confess to being in Iranian waters
• Iran claims UK sailors entered Iranian waters in "suspicious act"
Adjust font size:


BERLIN, Germany (AP) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Sunday that the 15 British sailors and Royal Marines captured by Iran were not in Iranian waters and warned Tehran that Britain viewed their fate as a "fundamental" issue.

"It is simply not true that they went into Iranian territorial waters," Blair said at a news conference in Berlin, calling the situation "very serious."

"I want to get it resolved in as easy and diplomatic a way as possible," he said, but added he hoped the Iranians "understood how fundamental an issue this is for the British government.



.......

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/25/iran.uk.sailors.ap/index.html

[Christoph]

Iran 'to release UK sailor soon'

Story Highlights
• Iran minister: Woman among 15 UK sailors seized by Iran will be freed soon
• UK foreign secretary says Britain will freeze bilateral business with Iran
• UK says data shows sailors held by Iran never strayed outside Iraqi waters
• Iran says sailors, captured while boarding vessels, were in Iranian waters

Adjust font size:
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The one woman among a group of 15 British military personnel seized by Iran will be freed later Wednesday or Thursday, Iran's foreign minister has told CNN.

The woman, identified as sailor Faye Turney, was seized last Friday by Iran along with 14 other British Royal Navy sailors and marines who were conducting a routine inspection of a merchant vessel at the northern end of the Persian Gulf.

No other details were given about her possible release. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's comments came Wednesday as he attended the Arab League Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Earlier Wednesday Britain increased pressure on Iran, releasing evidence it said showed the group was operating in Iraqi waters and freezing bilateral contacts until the crisis is resolved. Iran insists the group was inside its territorial waters.

"We are now in a new phase of diplomatic activity," British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett told members of parliament.

.....

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/28/iran.uk.sailors/index.html

[Christoph]

British sailors were 'gathering intelligence' on Iran

The British sailors seized by Iran in the Gulf were gathering intelligence on Iranian activities as part of their routine operations, one of them said in an interview before their capture but only broadcast on Thursday.

"We sort of gather int (intelligence) as well," Royal Marine Captain Chris Air, 25 told Sky News television in the interview filmed three weeks ago but only broadcast after their release.

.....

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1891458.htm

[Christoph]

UK captive 'felt like a traitor'

Faye Turney has reportedly struck a six-figure deal


Turney on Tonight
Leading Seaman Faye Turney has told how she "felt like a traitor" when she was forced to write "confession" letters shown on Iranian television.
The only woman among the 15-strong Royal Navy crew has also defended her decision to sell her story to ITV1's Trevor Macdonald and the Sun newspaper...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6538075.stm