Five Britons held by Iran after yacht they were sailing 'strayed into Iranian waters'

Five British sailors are being held hostage in Iran. The Foreign Office confirmed that a racing yacht owned by Sail Bahrain and crewed by five British sailors was detained by the Iranian Navy on November 25.

The yacht had been on its way to Dubai and, according to the Foreign Office, may have 'inadvertently', strayed into Iranian waters. If confirmed, the detention of the British sailors will dramatically increase tensions between Iran and the West.

In March 2007 HMS Cornwall made headlines around the world in March when seven Royal Marines and eight sailors were arrested at gunpoint.

The humiliation was compounded as the Iranians gleefully exploited the propaganda opportunities in the following days, broadcasting footage of the hostages apologising for straying into Iranian waters, and warmly thanking president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for releasing them.

Finally the decision to let two of the sailors, Faye Turney and Arthur Batchelor, sell their stories back in the UK caused a fierce backlash and left Defence Secretary Des Browne fighting for his job.

The dramatic development came as Iran fought off an international backlash over its plan to build 10 new nuclear enrichment plants.

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