Beckett asks Iran to return seized military equipment

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has told Iran’s foreign minister that Britain wants Tehran to return the boats and military equipment taken when Iranian naval units seized 15 British sailors and marines in late March.

Mrs Beckett and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki spoke by telephone after the British naval personnel were detained, but they met for the first time today on the sidelines of two international conferences to promote the restoration of stability in Iraq.