Iran's Ambassador to Moscow Gholam-Reza Ansari said Friday that the 15 British naval personnel arrested for trespassing Iranian territorial waters could be tried for violation of international law.
Ansari was speaking to the Russian TV news channel Vesti-24 on the ongoing standoff over the arrest of the 15 British marines by Iranian forces in Arvand River in the northern part of the Persian Gulf on March 23. "Legal moves to determine the guilt of the British sailors have been launched. They will be tried if there is enough evidence of guilt," he was quoted as saying by IRNA on Saturday.
But the ambassador hinted at a diplomatic settlement, saying "if the UK government admits its mistake and apologizes to Iran for its naval personnel's trespassing of Iranian territorial waters, the issue can be easily settled."
The British government has raised the issue of the arrest of its naval personnel in Iranian waters into a crisis instead of trying to resolve it through diplomatic channels, he regretted.
