Mil News Iran delays UK boat crew release

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Talks on the release of eight UK crew members of three patrol boats seized by Iran near the border with Iraq have been postponed until Thursday.
Iran initially promised to free the men and the boats on Wednesday and a team of UK diplomats travelled from the capital, Tehran, for the handover.

A UK spokesman said they had agreed on the principles for a handover and would negotiate details on Thursday.

These include wording a joint statement, says the BBC's Jim Muir.

The fate of the men's boats and weapons is another factor, our Tehran correspondent says.

Servicemen well

The men were detained on Monday in the southern Shatt al-Arab waterway.

The UK Ministry of Defence said the men were training the Iraqi river patrol service, and may have mistakenly strayed over the maritime border.

They appeared on Iranian TV wearing blindfolds and admitting entering Iranian waters illegally.

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi was quoted on Wednesday as saying the British crew "will be freed today" [Wednesday].

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