Released British Troops Deny They Had Trespassed Into Iranian Waters

Eight British servicemen seized by Iranian troops last week on the Iran-Iraq border say they were “forcibly escorted into Iranian territorial waters” before they were detained, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

Tehran claimed that the six Royal Marines and two Royal Navy sailors had strayed into the Iranian side of the Shatt al Arab waterway. It held the men for four days, prompting a diplomatic standoff.

Defense Minister Geoff Hoon told the House of Commons that the men reported they had not made a navigational mistake and had been detained in Iraqi waters.

“In a recent debriefing, the crews have said that they were operating inside the Iraqi border and were forcibly escorted into Iranian territorial waters,” he said in a statement.

“Our assessment continues and will be greatly assisted by the retrieval of navigational information in the global positioning system equipment carried by the crews,” Hoon said.

He also called on Tehran to return the three river patrol boats and equipment seized when it took the men into custody. The gear includes weapons, ammunition, radios and navigational equipment.

The Foreign Office said discussions with Tehran were continuing.

The men were detained in the waterway June 21 as they were delivering a patrol boat for the new Iraqi river patrol service. The waterway runs along the border between Iran and Iraq.