• Five British sailors are being held, Foreign Office confirms
• Yacht may have strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters
Five British sailors are being held in Iran after their racing yacht was intercepted by the Iranian navy while on its way from Bahrain to an event in Dubai, the Foreign Office said tonight.
It is thought the vessel may have strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters, the Foreign Office said. All the Britons are said to be safe and well and their families have been informed.
The boat, owned by Sail Bahrain, was seized five days ago, the foreign secretary, David Miliband, confirmed. “Officials immediately contacted the Iranian authorities in London and in Tehran on the evening of 25 November, both to seek clarification and to try and resolve the matter swiftly.
“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.”
David Lidington, the Conservative foreign affairs spokesman, told Sky News: “There is no justification for these yachtsmen being arrested and detained. I hope very much Iranian authorities release them without delay.
“I hope Iran will realise they are dealing with a group of civilians … These yachtsmen had no malicious intent .”
Sail Bahrain is the brainchild of the Gulf state’s King Hamad, who wants to develop sailing and other water sports in the region. The team has recently bought two 60-foot Volvo racing yachts to the kingdom from Southampton after setting up the project with the Team Pindar racing business. One, the Kingdom of Bahrain, was due to take part in the 360-mile Dubai to Muscat offshore race and had been due to arrive in Dubai on Thursday.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions over Iran’s plans, announced on Sunday, to build 10 uranium enrichment plants . Iran’s relations with Britain have been frosty since the country’s disputed election earlier this year
It is not the first time that Britons have been captured by the Iranian authorities while at sea. Iran took 15 British service personnel hostage on 23 March 2007 and held them for 13 days. The Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines, from the frigate HMS Cornwall, were taken at gunpoint by Iranian warships during a routine search of a cargo ship in the northern Persian Gulf.
Iran alleged that the frigate had strayed into Iranian territorial waters but the Ministry of Defence denied the allegation and said the ship was in Iraqi waters.
Footage of crew members was broadcast by Iranian TV during their kidnap ordeal. Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinehjad, agreed to pardon and free them on April 4 2007.
In June 2004, six Royal Marines and two Royal Navy sailors were held for three days. They were part of a Royal Navy team which had been training Iraqi security forces to conduct anti-smuggling operations in the Shatt al-Arab waterway and were arrested while on their way to Basra to deliver one of the patrol boats to the new Iraqi Riverine Patrol Service.
The Iranian authorities said the boats had entered Iranian territorial waters in the Shatt al-Arab waterway which divides Iran from Iraq. The Iran-Iraq border runs down the middle of the waterway.
James Meikle
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