Iran Held Some British Troops In Solitary

Members of the British naval crew seized by Iran were detained in solitary confinement, Britain's defense ministry confirmed Thursday.

Lt. Col. Andy Price said some of the naval personnel had been "left alone" at points during their captivity, but said he would not elaborate until officials had held further talks with the sailors.

It followed a claim from the family of one of the crew that a sailor had been kept in solitary detention while the 15 sailors and marines were held.

Britain's defense ministry said the sailors were being debriefed about their 13 days in captivity, including questions about their treatment. A ministry spokeswoman said the debriefing sessions would continue Friday.

"There were times when they were left alone, but we will not go into any further detail until tomorrow," Price said. He said the personnel were spending time with their families and were "in good spirits," eating and drinking at a military base cafeteria.

The 15 Royal Navy sailors and marines returned home early Thursday to a nation relieved at their freedom but outraged that they were used for propaganda by Tehran.

Prime Minister Tony Blair called for continued international pressure on Iran, blaming elements of the Iranian government for backing militants in Iraq, where four British soldiers and a translator were slain in an ambush hours before the freed crew touched down.

"On the one hand we are glad that our service personnel return safe and unharmed from their captivity, but on the other we return to the sober and ugly reality of what is happening through terrorism in Iraq," Blair said outside his Downing Street office.

The liberated 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 two Sea King helicopters to the Royal Marines base at Chivenor, southwest of London.

They joyfully embraced their tearful families at the base.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup met with the crew briefly and described them as being "happy and in good shape." He dismissed questions that the sailors and marines had behaved improperly because they took part in videos on Iranian state television in which they "admitted" trespassing into Tehran's territorial waters.

"They did exactly as they should have done from start to finish, and we are proud of them," he said.

The tabloid Sun newspaper wrote that "nobody emerges from this crisis with credit."

"The sight of the illegally detained British forces thanking Iranian tyrants for their freedom will sicken the nation," the Sun said in an editorial.

While Britain always said that the crew was on a routine mission, Sky News reported that Royal Marine Capt. Chris Air had said in an interview three weeks ago that the crew was gathering intelligence on Iran during their patrols. Defense Ministry officials denied the sailors and marines had an intelligence role, but said they routinely spoke to commanders of vessels using the Persian Gulf and Shatt Al-Arab waterway to determine who is using shipping routes.

Wednesday'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.

Richard Haass, president of the Council On Foreign Relations, said it is too soon to know the political and diplomatic motivations behind Iran's release of the sailors.

"They might have thought this was something good for them to do, to push back to the world, send a message how tough they were. They got a lot of criticism. So what they may have done is diplomatically simply change tactics," he told CBS' The Early Show.

Despite the peaceful resolution to the two-week standoff, Haass said Iran, and Ahmadinejad, comes out of the ordeal a loser because the message sent is "Iran doesn't play by the rules." (video)

Haass added, "Is this the sort of government, the sort of president, we want to have with nuclear weapons? Obviously not if they're prepared to do this kind of thing."

Blair reiterated London's position that no deal had been cut for the captives' release. Speculation on such a deal followed reports by Iranian state media 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.

Another 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.

Iran denied a connection between the moves in Iraq and the sailors' and marines' release.

Before his announcement at a news conference, Ahmadinejad 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.

He said the British government was "not brave enough" to admit the crew had been in Iranian waters when it was captured.

Ahmadinejad 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.

"This pardon is a gift to the British people," he said.

After 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.

"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."

Ahmadinejad responded in Farsi, "You are welcome."

Three members of the crew were later interviewed on Iranian state-run TV, apologizing for the alleged incursion into Iran's waters and again thanking Ahmadinejad for their release.

"I can understand why you're insulted by the intrusion into the waters," said Lt. Felix Carman, shown seated on a couch.

"Thank you for letting us go and we apologize for our actions, but many thanks for having it in your hearts to let us go free," Turney said.

Before leaving Iran, they received gifts given to them on Ahmadinejad's behalf including handicrafts, a vase and special Persian candy, Iran's state-run news agency, IRNA, reported.

The British crew was seized March 23 as it searched for smugglers. Iran broadcast footage of Turney and some other crew members "confessing" they had entered Iranian waters. An infuriated Britain froze most bilateral contacts, prompting Tehran to roll back on a pledge to free Turney.

During Ahmadinejad's news conference, he said Britain had sent a letter to the Iranian Foreign Ministry pledging that entering Iranian waters "will not happen again." Britain's Foreign Office would not give details about the letter but said its position was clear that the detained crew had been in Iraqi waters.

Syria, Iran's close ally, said it played a role in winning the release.