THE female British sailor detained by Iran for nearly two weeks said in paid interviews yesterday she “felt like a traitor” for agreeing to her captors’ demands to appear on Iranian TV and she believed they had measured her for a coffin.

The sudden release of an Iranian diplomat missing for two months in Iraq raised new hope today that 15 British sailors and marines seized by Iran may soon be freed.

Two of the 15 captured British sailors pointed to a map of the Persian Gulf and identified where they had been arrested 10 days ago on video clips aired by Iranian state-run television channels.

Iran’s official Arabic-language television channel today aired short video clips of what it said were two of the 15 captured British sailors who in the footage pointed to a map of the Persian Gulf.

The reported release comes hours after Iranian state television broadcast a few seconds of footage it claimed was of the operation that seized 15 British soldiers in Iranian territorial waters last week.

Iran today rolled back on a pledge to soon free a British woman sailor, delaying her release because of Britain’s threat to freeze relations and refer the issue to the UN Security Council.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has held talks with Iran’s foreign minister over the detention of 15 British sailors and Marines.

Iran’s foreign minister said Britain must admit that its 15 sailors and marines entered Iranian waters in order to resolve a standoff over their capture.