Fifteen British sailors and Royal Marines were today seized at gunpoint by Iranian warships off Iraq, prompting a major diplomatic crisis at a time of heightened between Tehran and the West.

The Ministry of Defence said the 15 were in Iraqi territorial waters conducting a routine inspection of a cargo ship from the HMS Cornwall in the northern Gulf when they were surrounded by Iranian vessels and escorted to waters controlled by Iran.

The British reaction was swift, with Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, summoning Iran’s ambassador in London, Rasoul Movahedian. Mr Movahedian spent about 20 minutes at the FCO, in what was described as a “brisk but cordial” meeting where Government demands for the safe and immediate release of the personnel were reiterated.

In a statement Mrs Beckett said: “We have sought a full explanation of what happened and we are leaving them in no doubt that we want the immediate and safe return of our personnel and their equipment.

Expert View

The fear must be that the fate of the British servicemen will now be connected to what happens at the UN with regards to the resolution against Iran

Richard Beeston

• More

• Post a comment

Related Links

• Comment: Diplomatic row comes amid tensions over Iran sanctions

• Iran to hit back at US ‘kidnaps’

• Iran’s President to address UN

"The meeting with the Iranian ambassador was brisk but polite. But he was left in no doubt that we want them back."

In the US, Sean McCormack, State Department spokesman, said that Washington backed the demand.

The commanding officer of the ship - which arrived in the Gulf ten days ago to defend Iraq’s oil industry in the area – said that contact had been lost with the group after they had carried out the search of the cargo boat.

Commodore Nick Lambert said his staff were all believed to be safe and he hoped the incident was the result of a “misunderstanding” that had occurred in waters whose ownership was a highly contentious matter.

“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that they were in Iraqi territorial waters. Equally, the Iranians may well claim that they were in Iranian territorial waters,” he said.

“The extent and definition of territorial waters in this part of the world is very complicated. We may find, and I hope we will find, that this is a simple misunderstanding at a tactical level,” he added, saying that every effort was being made to secure the release of the boarding party.

“We did have a helicopter in the area. Our understanding from that is that the boarding party returned to its boats which were then promptly arrested by a group of Iranian patrol boats inside Iraqi territorial waters,” he told the BBC.

The MoD said the incident happened at around 10.30am local time. “The boarding party had completed a successful inspection of a merchant ship when they and their two boats were surrounded and escorted by Iranian vessels into Iranian territorial waters,” a spokesman said.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Shrinking violet Gordon turns into raging bull
• Eddie Izzard: 'I keep thinking if I do all these things she'll come back'
• Is sex for the disabled the last taboo?