March 30, 2007	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 10, 1428

LONDON, March 29: Britain took the escalating crisis with Iran over 15 captured naval personnel to the UN Security Council on Thursday as Tehran withdrew an offer to free the only woman detainee.

Iran also demanded an apology for what it said had been an incursion by the British navy.

As world oil prices soared to six month highs on the spike in tension, UN Security Council members debated a proposed British statement which calls for the `immediate release’ of the eight sailors and seven marines.

“Members of the Security Council deplore the continuing detention by the government of Iran of 15 UK naval personnel,” said the proposed statement.

It also said that when they were seized, `the UK personnel were operating in Iraqi waters’ under a UN Security Council resolution authorising a multinational force in Iraq.

The position of the 15 has become a key part of the dispute. Iran has insisted the British naval personnel had entered its waters at six different points before they were arrested.

Iran demanded on today that Britain say sorry for the intrusion.

“The logical solution ... is for the British authorities to accept the reality, present their apologies to the great Iranian people,” armed forces spokesman Gen Alireza Afshar was cited as saying by an Iranian news agency.

The head of Iran's supreme national security council, Ali Larijani, earlier said the only woman captive, Faye Turney, would not be released because of Britain's `incorrect’ attitude.

“It was announced that a woman in the group would be freed, but (this development) was met with an incorrect attitude.” Mr Larijani said on state television that the release `will be suspended and it will not take place’.

Iranian state television ran footage of Turney and her 14 male colleagues in which she said they had strayed into Iranian waters. The film provoked a furious reaction in London. Prime Minister Tony Blair called the Iranian tactics `a disgrace’ while the British government suspects Turney spoke under duress.

“What we have to do in a very firm way, is step up the pressure,” Mr Blair told ITV television.

“The important thing is we just keep making it very, very clear to the Iranian government it is not a situation that will be relieved by anything but the unconditional release of all our people,” he added.

Mr Larijani, who is also Iran's chief negotiator in its nuclear dispute with western powers, threatened however to pursue a `legal path’ in the crisis which could delay any solution.

“Instead of sending a technical team to examine the problem, they kicked up a media storm, announced a freeze in relations and spoke about the Security Council. That will not resolve the problem. They have miscalculated,” said Larijani.

London announced on Wednesday that it was freezing official contacts with Tehran because of the detentions.

In mounting diplomatic activity, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke to Iran's foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki about the crisis at the Arab summit in Saudi Arabia. France summoned Iran's ambassador to Paris to express support for Britain's case.—AFP