Iran Seizes British Yacht

Iran is holding five British sailors after stopping their racing yacht in the Persian Gulf, the British government said Monday. The move could heighten tensions between Iran and major world powers, including Britain, that are demanding a halt to its nuclear program. The yacht owned by Sail Bahrain was stopped on its way from the tiny island country to the Gulf city of Dubai on Wednesday when it "may have strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters," Britain's Foreign Office said. Sail Bahrain's Web site identified the yacht as the "Kingdom of Bahrain" and said it had been due to join the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, which was to begin Nov. 26. The event was to be the boat's first offshore race. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that British officials had been in touch about the matter with their Iranian counterparts for nearly a week. "I hope this issue will soon be resolved," he said.The race yacht Kingdom of Bahrain. Britain's Foreign Office says that the yacht, owned by Sail Bahrain and carrying five U.K. nationals has been stopped by Iranian naval vessels, and they are now in Iran.The statement added that the crew members "are still in Iran" and were "understood to be safe" but did not specify whether they are and what their legal status is. A call seeking clarification from Britain's Foreign Office was not immediately returned. Fifteen British military personnel were detained in the Gulf by Iran under disputed circumstances in March 2007. Iran charged them with trespassing in its waters, and the Iranian government televised apologies by some of the captured crew. All were eventually freed without an apology from Britain, which steadfastly insisted the crew members were taken in Iraqi waters, where they were authorized to be. The phone rang unanswered at the Iranian Embassy in London. Iran's nuclear chief on Monday said U.N. criticism of its nuclear program had pushed his country to retaliate by announcing ambitious plans for more uranium enrichment. With tensions rising over deadlocked negotiations, France said diplomacy was not working and sanctions against Iran were needed.