Five Britons have been detained in Iran after their racing yacht may have inadvertently strayed into Iranian waters, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said today.
The yacht, en route from Bahrain to Dubai, was stopped by Iranian naval vessels on November 25th, he said in a statement.
The five crew members were still in Iran and were understood to be safe and well and their families had been informed, the statement added.
British foreign office officials "immediately contacted the Iranian authorities in London and in Tehran on the evening of November 25th, both to seek clarification and to try and resolve the matter swiftly", Mr Miliband said.
"Our ambassador in Tehran has raised the issue with the Iranian Foreign Ministry and we have discussed the matter with the Iranian embassy in London.
"I hope this issue will soon be resolved. We will remain in close touch with the Iranian authorities, as well as the families."
Yesterday, Mr Miliband was among several world leaders to condemn Iran's announcement that it planned to build 10 new uranium enrichment plants in a major expansion of its atomic programme. Mr Miliband accused Iran of choosing to "provoke and dissemble" rather than engage in talks.
In April 2007, Iranian forces seized eight British Royal Navy sailors and seven marines, in the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway that separates Iran and Iraq.
They were later freed unharmed as a "gift" from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who scolded Britain for not being "brave enough" to admit they had made a mistake and strayed into Iranian waters.
Reuters