Iran: UK sailors entered 6 times
POSTED: 10:48 a.m. EDT, March 29, 2007

Story Highlights• Iran: British sailors crossed into Iranian waters six times
• Larijani says Britain's words, attitude causing delay in release of woman sailor
• U.N. Security Council to discuss issue Thursday
• Female sailor says she and crew "trespassed" into Iranian waters

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran says the 15 UK military personnel detained last week entered its waters six times before they were arrested, and announced that the promised release of the woman sailor was suspended due to Britain's "behavior" in the matter.

An Iranian naval spokesman said Thursday there is videotape and documents, including global positioning numbers, to back up their claims.

The latest salvo in the standoff came as Iranian military commander Alireza Afshar announced that the release of Faye Turney was being suspended.

"The wrong behavior of those who live in London caused the suspension," Afshar said, according to the Mehr news agency.

The latest salvo in the standoff came as Ali Larijani, the secretary of of Iran's Supreme National Council, warned that Britain's tough stance in the matter was causing a delay in the release of Faye Turney. (Watch as dispute grows more bitter )

On Wednesday Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had said Turney would be released "very soon."

Larijani said Tehran would like to resolve the issue through bilateral discussions and an investigation of legal and technical issues, and again asserted that the British patrol boats entered Iranian waters illegally.

In London, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday that Britain would not seek a confrontation with Iran on the matter.

"We want this resolved. We do not want a confrontation over this. We want this resolved as quickly as possible," the spokesman told reporters.

British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett announced Wednesday that Britain was freezing all bilateral diplomatic business with Iran until the 15 Britons were freed.

The dispute has sparked anti-British protests in Iran, raised Middle East tensions, already high over concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions, and sent shockwaves through the oil market. (Oil shock)

Thursday marked the sixth day Tehran has defiantly refused Britain consular access to the detained sailors.

They were arrested March 23 as they conducted anti-smuggling patrols near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab, at the northern end of the Persian Gulf.

The waterway has long been the site of tensions between Iraq and Iran, which both claim it as their territory.

Britain insists its sailors were in Iraqi waters, but Iran says the vessels clearly entered its territory six times before the crew members were detained.

The arrests prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity in and outside the Gulf, with several countries calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the Britons.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to discuss the issue Thursday.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Mottaki on the sidelines of the Arab League summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Thursday to talk about the situation.

'Friendly, hospitable'
In a videotape broadcast Wednesday on the Iranian Arabic language network Al Alam, Turney, wearing a black scarf covering her hair, said that her crew had "trespassed" into Iranian waters. (Watch Turney identify herself and describe what happened )

"Obviously we trespassed into their waters," she said.

"They were very friendly, very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people. They explained to us why we'd been arrested. There was no aggression, no hurt, no harm. They were very, very compassionate," Turney added.

It was not known when the videotape was shot, or if Turney, 26, was able to speak freely, since she is being held against her will.

Turney -- who holds the rank of leading seaman, roughly equivalent to a petty officer first class in the U.S. Navy -- appeared to be in good physical condition and wore a black scarf to cover her hair. (Read Turney's profile)

In other scenes, she was shown smoking a cigarette as she spoke with someone off camera.

The British government reacted angrily to that video and another showing Turney and other crew members eating a meal.

Beckett said she was "very concerned about these pictures and any indication of pressure on or coercion of our personnel who were carrying out a routine operation in accordance with international law and under a United Nations resolution in support of the Iraqi government."

Wednesday, the British Ministry of Defense gave what it said was proof that the British ship carrying the sailors and marines never strayed into Iranian waters.

British Vice Adm. Charles Style said the global positioning system on the ship proves the vessel was "clearly" 3.1 kilometers (1.7 nautical miles) inside Iraqi waters.

Iran insists the ship was inside its territorial waters and, according to Style, provided a map with coordinates on Saturday in an attempt to prove the point.

Style said those coordinates actually "turned out to confirm they were in Iraqi waters" and Iraq has supported that position.

Upon pointing that out Sunday through diplomatic contacts, Style said Iran then "provided a second set of coordinates" on Monday that were "in Iranian waters over two nautical miles" from the position shown by the HMS Cornwall and confirmed by the merchant vessel the British personnel boarded.

The "change of coordinates," Style said "is hard to legitimate."

Letter also released
Iran also released a letter it said was written by Turney to her parents. The letter was handed to the British ambassador to Iran in Tehran on Wednesday, the state-run news agency reported.

"We were out in the boats when we were arrested by Iranian forces as we had apparently gone into Iranian waters. I wish we hadn't because then I'd be home with you all right now. I am so sorry we did, because I know we wouldn't be here now if we hadn't," the letter said. (Read letter)

CNN cannot confirm that Turney wrote the letter or, if she did, whether she did so under duress.

The television station broadcast video of what appeared to be a handwritten letter, signed "Faye." (Watch CNN's Aneesh Raman's analysis of what's striking about this video )

"I want you all to know that I am well and safe. I am being well looked after. I am fed 3 meals a day and have a constant supply of fluids," the letter said.

Meanwhile the U.S. navy was wrapping up its largest exercise in Gulf waters since 2003. (Full story)