All 15 British naval personnel have confessed they were arrested by Iranian coast guards only after illegally trespassing into the country's territorial waters. The statement was made Monday on Iranian television indicating that the remaining naval staff, who were arrested on March 23, 2007, were reporting the details of the incident which led to their arrest. Iran said footage of the "confessions" would not be broadcast, following positive changes in Britain's negotiating stance. Al-Alam news channel screened the confessions of two British naval personnel on Sunday admitting they had illegally entered Iran's territorial waters.
Captain Chris Air confessed that, "At about 10 o'clock in the morning, we were seized, apparently at this point here, from their maps, from the GPS they've shown us, which is inside Iranian territorial waters."
The British officer talked about the friendly behavior they had faced since their arrest, saying that, "So far we have been treated very well by the people here. They have looked after us and given us enough food."
The seven sailors and eight Royal Marines were detained from two British patrol boats in the Arvand Rud waterway. Iran has said that the naval personnel who were captured in the northern Gulf crossed illegally into the country's territorial waters.
A prominent Iranian lawmaker, Javad Arianmanesh criticized the harsh stance taken by Britain. "The doubt which the British are casting on the location of the sailors' arrest has become completely baseless with the advanced GPS devices and the sailors' frank confessions," Arianmanesh said.