Iran says the 15 British sailors and marines it detained last week are healthy and have been treated in a humane manner. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said on Tuesday that the 26-year-old female sailor, Faye Turney, had been provided privacy, adding, "All moral codes have certainly been observed." "They are in complete good health. They have been treated based on humanitarian and moral values," Hosseini told the Associated Press. The spokesman, however, did not elaborate on where the Britons were being kept, saying their case is under investigation. "The case should go through legal procedures. Media hyperbole will not lead to a hasty resolution of the case," Hosseini reiterated.
Tehran has said it is questioning the Britons to determine if their entry into Iranian waters was "intentional or unintentional" before making a decision on the Brits.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday expressed hope diplomacy would win their release but was prepared to move to a different phase if not. "I hope we manage to get them (the Iranian government) to realize they have to release them," Blair said in an interview with GMTV. Also on Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett repeated her government's interest in a quick resolution to the crisis, telling reporters in Turkish city of Ankara that the matter should be settled "swiftly and peacefully."
"We will continue to leave the door open for a constructive outcome of these difficulties between Iran and the United Kingdom," Margaret Beckett said.