British ship 'in Iraqi waters'

London: The British government says that satellite tracking data proves that 15 UK sailors were in Iraqi waters when seized by Iran last week.

The Ministry of Defence said that the Global Positioning System (GPS) data showed the HMS Cornwall was 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi waters when it was intercepted by an Iranian boat.

Britain's Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Charles Style, said "The action of the Iranian forces is unjustified and wrong. As such it is a matter of deep concern."

He also claimed that the Iranians had provided a position on Sunday, but by Tuesday Iranian officials had revised the position two miles to the east.

The news comes a day after Tony Blair said that he would be prepared to move the dispute to ‘a different phase' if Iran did not respond to their 'discreet' diplomatic approaches.

The sailors from the HMS Cornwall were detained on Friday after boarding a boat in the Arabian Gulf to search it.

Tehran claims that the boat was operating illegally in Iranian waters when the men were captured.

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has flown back to London, cutting short a trip to Turkey, to deal with the crisis.

Tehran has refused to say where the British sailors, 14 men and one woman, are being held but has stated that they are being treated humanely.

The official Iranian news agency IRNA has quoted Iran's foreign ministry as saying diplomats would soon get access to the group.