15 Britons captured by Iran in dispute return to England

ROYAL MARINE BASE CHIVENOR, England – Fifteen Royal Navy sailors and marines held captive by Iran returned home Thursday to a nation relieved at their freedom but also outraged that they were used by Tehran’s propaganda machine.\nPrime Minister Tony Blair insisted that no deal had been cut for their release and he called for continued international pressure on the hard-line Iranian regime.\nThe crew broke open champagne and changed into fresh uniforms on the flight home. After landing at Heathrow airport, they smiled and stood at attention before being whisked by helicopter to the Royal Marines base at Chivenor, southwest of London.\nThey are expected to be debriefed on their 13-day ordeal and reunited with family members at the Chivenor base, which is 210 miles southwest of London.\nWednesday’s announcement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Britons had been released was a breakthrough in a crisis that had raised oil prices and escalated fears of military conflict in the volatile region. The move to release the sailors suggested that Iran’s hard-line leadership decided it had shown its strength but did not want to push the standoff too far.\nIran did not get the main thing it sought – a public apology for entering Iranian waters. Britain, which said its crew was in Iraqi waters when seized, insists it never offered a quid pro quo, either, instead relying on quiet diplomacy.\nSyria, Iran’s close ally, said it played a role in winning the release.\nBlair said Britain had managed to secure release of crew without any deal or negotiations.\nOn Wednesday, Iranian state media reported that an Iranian envoy would be allowed to meet five Iranians detained by U.S. forces in northern Iraq. A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said American authorities were considering the request, although an international Red Cross team, including one Iranian, had visited the prisoners.\nAnother Iranian diplomat, separately seized two months ago by uniformed gunmen in Iraq, was released and returned Tuesday to Tehran. Iran accused the Americans of abducting him, a charge the U.S. denied.\nThose developments led to speculation that the release of the Britons had been connected to the events in Iraq. Both Iran and Britain denied any connection.\nAhmadinejad timed Wednesday’s announcement so as to make a dramatic splash, springing it halfway through a two-hour news conference.\nThe president first gave a medal of honor to the commander of the Iranian coast guards who captured the Britons, and admonished London for sending a mother, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, on such a dangerous mission in the Persian Gulf.\nHe said the British government was “not brave enough” to admit the crew had been in Iranian waters when it was captured.\nAhmadinejad then declared that even though Iran had the right to put the Britons on trial, he had “pardoned” them to mark the March 30 birthday of the Prophet Muhammad and the coming Easter holiday.\n“This pardon is a gift to the British people,” he said.\nAfter the news conference, Iranian television showed a beaming Ahmadinejad on the steps of the presidential palace shaking hands with the Britons – some towering over him. The men were decked out in business suits and Turney wore an Islamic head scarf.\n“Your people have been really kind to us, and we appreciate it very much,” one of the British men told Ahmadinejad in English. Another male service member said: “We are grateful for your forgiveness.”\nAhmadinejad responded in Farsi, “You are welcome.\nAssociated Press Writer Courtney French in London contributed to this report.