Footage shows captured sailors describing their arrest

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.

The two sailors also said they have been treated well by their captors.

The British sailors and marines were detained by Iranian naval units on March 23 while patrolling for smugglers as part of a UN-mandated force patrolling the Persian Gulf.

Iran insists the sailors had trespassed into its waters, but Britain says the team was in Iraqi waters.

Two Farsi-language Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting channels showed the two sailors, who wore military fatigues and appeared relaxed, in separate video clips last night.

Both sailors pointed at the same map of the Persian Gulf.

The first sailor, who was identified as Captain Chris Air, said in the video while pointing with a pen to a location on the map that two boats left a coalition warship around 8.30am on March 23.

He said the seven marines and eight navy sailors were seized around 10am “from the GPS they’ve shown us, which was inside the Iranian territorial waters.”

Air also said the sailors have been “treated very well by all the people here. They look after us. … We’ve been treated very well and we thank you for that.”

The second sailor, identified as Lieutenant Felix Carman, pointed to an area on the map and said that location was where he and the 14 others were arrested.

“I’d like to say to the Iranian people, I can understand why you are so angry about our intrusion into your waters,” Carman said.

Britain’s Foreign Office denounced the video, saying it was “completely unacceptable for these pictures to be shown on TV.”

Iran’s official Arabic-language TV station, Al-Alam, also showed the video clips but did not air the soldiers’ voices.

Al-Alam broadcast longer videos of the Britons last week, including footage on Friday of captured marine Nathan Thomas Summers apologising for entering Iranian waters “without permission” and admitting to trespassing in Iranian waters.

He was shown sitting with another serviceman and the female British sailor Faye Turney against a floral curtain. Both servicemen wore camouflage fatigues with a Royal Navy label on their chests and a little British flag stitched to their left sleeves.

Al-Alam also aired video on Wednesday showing Turney wearing a headscarf and saying: “Obviously we trespassed.”

Iran has also made public three letters purportedly written by Turney. The last letter contained an apology.

Britain has denounced the videos, calling them “propaganda” and “outrageous.”

Earlier yesterday, British Defence Secretary Des Browne said his government was in “direct, bilateral communication with the Iranians.”

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said Browne was referring to letters and other contacts between diplomats, rather than any new face-to-face talks.

Browne, on a visit to Afghanistan, said Britain had “the support of almost the whole international community” in calling for the release of its personnel.

But British government and defence officials refused to discuss a report that claimed a Royal Navy captain or commodore would be sent to Tehran as a special envoy to negotiate the return of the personnel.

The official would deliver an assurance that British naval crews would never deliberately enter Iranian waters without permission, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said yesterday that Iran received a letter from Britain over the sailors and Iran would review it.

“We are waiting for a change in behaviour and balanced approach of this country towards our legal demands,” state TV quoted Mottaki as saying.

US President George Bush in Saturday demanded the release of the 15 “hostages.” He said they were innocent and called their capture “inexcusable behaviour.”

Iran responded yesterday, warning Bush against making what it said were “illogical” comments.

“It would be better for Bush to avoid uncalculated, non-technical and illogical expressions,” state TV quoted Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini as saying.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called world powers “arrogant” for refusing to apologise.

In Iran, hardliners called for their government to remain firm. In Tehran, about 200 Iranian youths threw rocks and firecrackers at the British Embassy in a protest yesterday, calling for the expulsion of the country’s ambassador because of the standoff.

Several dozen policemen prevented the protesters from entering the embassy compound, although a few briefly scaled a fence outside the compound’s walls before being pushed back.

The protesters chanted “Death to Britain” and “Death to America” as they hurled stones into the courtyard of the embassy. They also demanded that the Iranian government expel the British ambassador and close down the embassy, calling it a “den of spies.”

Britain’s Foreign Office said there had been no damage to the compound.