Iraqi authorities help with seized Brits

Iraqi authorities were asked for help by the British forces to mediate with Iran over the seizure of three British Navy boats and the arrest of eight crew.

Coastguard officials in southern Iraq had been asked to appeal to the Iranians for the release of the patrol boats and crew, the source said.

The source said the office of Iraqi General Ali Hammadi had made contact with the Iranian authorities and hoped the Britons would be quickly released, quotes heraldsun.news.com.au.

According to timesofoman.com, Iran seized three British naval patrol boats and detained eight sailors yesterday after they entered the Islamic republic’s territorial waters on the Iraqi border, officials said.

"This morning, three British boats with eight people on board entered Iranian territorial waters. The Iranian Navy, in accordance with their duties, seized these boats and arrested the crew," spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said in a statement.