Tehran, December 01: Iran says it will take strong action against five British sailors detained by the Iranian navy after their racing yacht was stopped last week in the Persian Gulf if it is proven they had "bad intentions."
The British government says the yacht strayed inadvertantly into Iranian waters while en route from Bahrain to Dubai to join a race.
The head of the Iranian president's office, Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, says that if it is proven that the sailors had "bad intentions" to violate Iran's security, "there will be a strong and serious attitude toward them," according to a report Tuesday in Iran's Fars news agency.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran would neither confirm nor deny Tuesday it is holding five British sailors even though the British government said they were detained by the Iranian navy after their racing yacht was stopped last week in the Persian Gulf.
A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the case was "being investigated" while the semiofficial Fars news agency quoted a commander of the Revolutionary Guard, whose navy patrols the waters, as saying that if the Britons were detained, it was within the Guard's responsibility to do so.
The detention could heighten tensions between Iran and major world powers, including Britain, that are demanding a halt to Tehran's controversial nuclear program.
The British government said Monday that Iran is holding the five after their yacht, owned by Sail Bahrain, was stopped last Wednesday after straying inadvertently into Iranian waters while en route to Dubai to join the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Britain has been in touch about the case with Iranian counterparts and hoped the matter would be resolved soon. Speaking Tuesday to BBC, Miliband described the issue as a "purely consular matter."
"There's certainly no confrontation or argument," Miliband said. "As far as we are aware, these people are being well treated, which is right and what we would expect from a country like Iran."
Miliband said the British government was expecting a statement from Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs later Tuesday.
"These are five civilians. They are yachtsmen. They were going about their sport," Miliband said. "It seems they may have strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters. We look forward to the Iranian government dealing with this promptly."
In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said "the issue, whether it happened or not, and its details are under investigation."
"After clarification, the results of the investigation will be announced," the spokesman said.
The Fars agency said the British sailors were detained by the Revolutionary Guard but provided no attribution.
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