Gulf Crisis Deepens

The European Union would underline its position in a statement to be issued later in the day, German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier said in Berlin. Steinmeier told reporters the EU would "make clear we want an immediate liberation" of the British soldiers held by Iran.

The 15 servicemen were detained on Friday after inspecting a vessel in the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway that marks the southern stretch of Iraq's border with Iran. Iran claimed they had violated its territorial waters, but Britain said they were in international waters and demanded their release.

As the diplomatic to-ing and fro-ing continued, Iran said on announced that the soldiers had admitted to violating its territorial waters, rejecting demands from London for their swift release.

Tehran claims soldiers confessed to entering Iranian waters

The semi-official Fars news agency said the personnel had been brought to the capital Tehran for questioning about what they were doing during what Britain insists was a "routine" anti-smuggling patrol.

Armed forces general staff spokesman General Alireza Afshar said the 15 had admitted to their interrogators that they knew they were inside Iranian waters, contrary to the insistence of the British defense ministry that they had remained in Iraqi waters.

"They are currently being questioned and have admitted to violating the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic," Afshar told the Fars agency.

He told the Arabic language service of state television: "We have solid evidence that they were detained in our territorial waters. They themselves have confessed and admitted their mistake."

He accused the British military of seeking to "create a climate of tension at a moment when a (UN Security Council) resolution on Iran (over its controversial nuclear program) is to be put to the vote despite the fact that Iran seeks calm and stability in the region".

"The questioning of the British sailors is continuing to try to establish their real intentions," he added.

Earlier another Iranian official told the Fars agency that the authorities had proof from the seized vessels' navigation equipment that the sailors had knowingly entered Iranian waters.

"The British troops who are in Iran's hands knew perfectly well that they were in Iranian territorial waters. Their navigation equipment proves it," said the official, whom the news agency did not name.

"Besides the explanations of the British sailors, data from the computerized navigation equipment on board the vessels seized shows that they knowingly entered Iranian waters and stayed there.

"Our border guards did their duty," he said, adding that the British navy should "pay more attention to its navigation equipment."

Diplomats meet to end stand-off

Britain summoned Iran's ambassador in London for a second day running to hear a demand for the swift release of the Britons.

Rasoul Movahedian was seen by a senior civil servant at the Foreign Office on Friday but was to be seen by junior minister Lord David Triesman for the new audience, a spokeswoman said.

Iran originally called the British operation an "illegal entry" into Iranian waters as a "suspicious act", the official IRNA news agency said on Saturday, while Fars said the British soldiers had been transferred to the capital Tehran to explain their "aggressive action."

Fars also said the captured Britons included some women. Neither of these claims have been clarified. "We haven't had any confirmation of that," a British foreign office spokesman in London told reporters.

"The Foreign Ministry's spokesman called the illegal and interfering entry of British forces into Iranian territorial waters a suspicious act and against international laws and rules and has harshly condemned it," IRNA said.

Iran claims British had "unusual aims"

The news agency also quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini as saying: "Violating the territory of other countries and non-permitted entrance ... show unusual aims and is against international treaties and there are no excuses for ignoring and not accepting the responsibility for that."

Britain has claimed that the soldiers were detained in Iraqi waters. The foreign ministry has said that two boatloads of Royal Navy sailors and marines had searched a merchant vessel on a UN approved mission in Iraqi waters when Iranian gunboats encircled and captured them.

"We demanded they be released swiftly and safely," the foreign office spokesman said. "We are keeping a very close on it. We are in contact with other governments in the region."

Relations between Iran and Britain have deteriorated further in recent months after it was claimed that Tehran was providing training and arms to Shia insurgents in the south of Iraq where the British are deployed.

Fragments of shell and bomb cases used in attacks on British troops are alleged to carry Iranian stamps. In turn, Iran has accused British troops of carrying out missions over the Iraqi border.

Abduction on eve of UN vote

The incident increases tensions in the region as Iran faces UN sanctions over its nuclear program that western governments believe is geared to making weapons.

German Foreign Minister Steinmeier said he was hopeful that the UN Security Council would be able to agree this weekend on a resolution tightening sanctions against Teheran.

He said talks were under way with five non-permanent members of the Security Council who were not happy with the wording of the resolution. The five permanent members were in agreement, he added. The Security Council was due to meet later Saturday to discuss the draft.