Iranian media report that the 15 British Navy personnel held by Iran have left Tehran on a flight to London. The group of 14 men and one woman flew out of Iran a day after President Mahmud Ahmadinejad announced their surprise release following nearly two weeks in detention.
The sailors and marines are expected to arrive in London at around noon local time.
On April 4, British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed profound relief over the crew's release, which ended a diplomatic standoff that had raised international tensions and pushed up oil prices.
Iran says the sailors and marines were in Iranian waters without permission when they were captured in the Persian Gulf on March 23, but Britain has insisted they were in Iraqi waters.
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
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