Iran freed on Wednesday five British sailors who were detained last week when their 60-foot racing yacht drifted into Iran's waters and was seized. The Revolutionary Guard, whose navy had stopped the vessel, interrogated the yachtsmen and found that their "illegal entry" into Iranian waters had been a mistake, the official IRNA news agency said.
IRNA added British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Iranian Foreign Minister Manochehr Mottaki discussed the matter late Tuesday. According to the AP, Miliband told reporters in London earlier Tuesday that there was "certainly no question of any malicious intent on the part of these five young people."
"This is a human story ... It's got nothing to do with politics, it's got nothing to do with the nuclear enrichment program," Miliband said. "We are keen this be resolved as soon as possible."
The British were released in the early hours Wednesday. Following the release, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said Britain was "seeking urgent clarification to this matter."
