Iran said on Monday that the 15 British sailors detained by
Iranian forces on Friday are currently being interrogated, state
television reported.
"The British sailors are currently being interrogated and they
must clarify whether they entered Iranian waters on purpose or by
mistake," Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Mostafavi said. He
rejected British claims that they were in Iraqi waters when the
Iranian navy forces seized them on Friday.
"Iran has enough evidence to prove that the British naval
personnel were detained in Iranian waters," Mostafavi said. The
British authorities have said that the 15 British naval personnel
were seized Friday by Iranian forces when they were patrolling off
the Iraqi borders.
Iran warned that 15 British sailors could face charges for
allegedly entering Iranian waters and rejected British requests to
meet with the servicemen.
Mostafavi said Iran isn't looking to trade 15 captured British
sailors for five Iranians arrested in Iraq.
British and US officials said the incident took place when the
British soldiers were engaged in routine boarding operations of
merchant shipping in Iraqi territorial waters in support of UN
Security Council Resolution 1723 and the government of Iraq.
However, Iranian military officer General Alireza Afshar said on
Saturday that the 15 British sailors have "confessed their mistakes
of illegally entering Iranian waters", local Fars news agency
reported.
(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2007)
