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British troops involved in surveillance, says Iran

Atul Aneja

London contests Tehran's claim, demands release

DUBAI: The 15 British naval personnel seized by Iran on Friday in the Gulf waters have been taken to Tehran for interrogation.

Iran's Fars news agency said the group included a woman.

It alleged that the presence of satellite tracking systems on board proved that the intruders were involved in surveillance. Iran's armed forces spokesman Ali Reza Afshar told Iranian radio the British crew had admitted that they had crossed into Iranian waters. He added that all of them were in "sterling health." They belonged to the warship, Cornwall. They were seized on Friday after they had boarded a boat in the Gulf.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said the British forces had trespassed Iranian territorial waters.

The troops were pursuing "unusual objectives." Countering the Iranian assertion, the British government said the eight sailors and seven marines were inside Iraqi waters. It has called for their immediate release.

The German presidency of the European Union has also demand the immediate release of the personnel.

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