Earlier, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the next two days will be critical in securing their release.

He warned that Britain would have to make tough decisions if talks do not succeed.

In Washington, President Bush was asked if the sailors' case is related to Iran's demands that the U.S. release five Iranians captured in Iraq in January. Mr. Bush said the British sailors should be released without conditions.

Iraqi officials in Baghdad say they are seeking the release of the five Iranians, but it is not clear if those efforts are linked to the British standoff.

Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to hold a news conference on Wednesday to discuss what state media is calling the illegal entry of British forces into Iranian waters.

Britain insists the sailors were in Iraq's waters. - VOA News