Blair: Next Two Days Critical in Iran Standoff over British Sailors
British Prime Minister Tony Blair says the next two days will be critical in efforts to secure the release of 15 British sailors captured by Iran. Mr. Blair told a Scottish radio station Tuesday the most important thing is to get the people back safely. He also said the "door is open" if Iran wants to resolve the issue in a diplomatic way.
Iran's national security chief, Ail Larijani, said Monday he believed diplomacy could quickly resolve the issue.
A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office responded by saying London shares Tehran's preference for early bilateral discussions to resolve the case.
Earlier, Iranian media said all the British sailors and marines had confessed to illegally entering Iranian waters.
Britain says its personnel were in Iraqi waters when they were seized March 23rd.
英国首相布莱尔说，要争取被伊朗扣押的15名海军人员获释，今后两天非常关键。布莱尔星期二在接受一家苏格兰广播电台采访时说，最重要的是让这些人安全返回。他还说，如果伊朗希望通过外交方式解决问题，“门是敞开的”。
伊朗国家安全事务负责人拉里贾尼星期一表示， 他认为有可能通过外交途径迅速解决问题。
英国外交部发言人回应说，伦敦同德黑兰一样，愿意尽快举行双边磋商，解决问题。
伊朗媒体早些时候报导说，这些英国海军人员和海军陆战队员都已承认非法进入伊朗水域。
英国表示，这些海军人员3月23号被抓走时位于伊拉克水域内。