(CNN) -- Iran has said it could delay the release of a British woman captured last week along with 14 other military personnel if the UK takes the issue to the U.N. Security Council or freezes relations.
In video footage aired Wednesday, Faye Turney, the only woman captive, said her group had "trespassed" in Iranian waters; other images showed the group eating together.
Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani made his comments on Iranian state radio on Thursday, the day after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Turney would be released "as soon as possible" but did not say when.
"We even said that the grounds were ready for the release of a woman among the British sailors but if we are faced with a fuss and wrong behavior then this would be suspended and it would not take place," Reuters quoted Larijani as saying.
Thursday also marked the sixth day Iran has defiantly refused Britain consular access to their service members or disclosed their location
Britain has urged the Security Council to support a call for the immediate release of its service members. It said in a statement the 15 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines were operating in Iraqi waters under a mandate from the Security Council and at the request of Iraq. The issue was expected to be debated Thursday.
On Wednesday the British government also announced it was freezing ties with Tehran over the crisis.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has denied though that Britain wants confrontation with Iran over the detention of the sailors.
"We want this resolved. We do not want a confrontation over this. We want this resolved as quickly as possible," the PM's official spokesman told reporters on Thursday.
Iran's foreign minister has said British officials can meet the detained sailors and marines, but must first acknowledge that they entered Iranian waters.
"Admitting the mistake will facilitate a solution to the problem," Manouchehr Mottaki told The Associated Press late Wednesday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he was attending an Arab summit.
The British Ministry of Defence has given what it said was proof the British ship HMS Cornwall, which was carrying the sailors and marines, never strayed into Iranian waters.
The global positioning system on the ship proves the vessel was "clearly" 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi waters and that the boat was "ambushed" by the Iranian forces, British Vice Adm. Charles Style said.
A map with coordinates that Iran provided on Saturday "turned out to confirm [the sailors] were in Iraqi waters," and Iraq has supported that position, Style said.
Iran later provided a second set of coordinates on Monday that placed the vessel inside Iranian waters, Style said. Those coordinates placed the ship "over two nautical miles" from the position shown by the HMS Cornwall and confirmed by the merchant vessel the British personnel had boarded when captured.
The "change of coordinates," Style said "is hard to legitimate."
On Wednesday, the Iranian Embassy in London said in a statement that British personnel had made an incursion of 0.5 kilometers (0.3 miles) into Iranian territorial waters.
Detainees appear on Iranian TV
The row over the location of the British personnel when captured on March 23 intensified Wednesday when images of them in detention appeared on Iranian television.
"Obviously we trespassed into their waters," Faye Turney said in video broadcast by Alalam, an Iranian Arabic-language network.
"They were very friendly, very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people. They explained to us why we'd been arrested. There was no aggression, no hurt, no harm. They were very, very compassionate," Turney said. (Watch Turney identify herself and describe what happened )
It was not known when the videotape was shot, or whether Turney, 26, was able to speak freely.
Turney -- who holds the rank of leading seaman, roughly equivalent to a petty officer first class in the U.S. Navy -- appeared to be in good physical condition and wore a black scarf to cover her hair. (Read Turney's profile)
In other scenes, she was shown smoking a cigarette as she spoke with someone off camera.
Alalam also broadcast video showing some of the other British detainees eating with Turney. All appeared healthy and unharmed. It was not known when that video was taken either.
The video broadcasts met outrage by the British government. (Watch the captured British sailors and Turney's letter )
A spokesman for Britain's Foreign Office said it was "completely unacceptable for these pictures to be shown on television, given the potential distress to their [the sailors'] families."
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said she was "very concerned about these pictures and any indication of pressure on or coercion of our personnel." They "were carrying out a routine operation in accordance with international law and under a United Nations resolution in support of the Iraqi government," she added.
Britain would cut off all bilateral diplomatic business with Tehran -- excluding discussions about the detainees -- until they were released, she announced earlier Wednesday.
Letter also released
Iran also released a letter it said was written by Turney to her parents. The letter was handed to the British ambassador to Iran in Tehran on Wednesday, the state-run news agency reported.
"We were out in the boats when we were arrested by Iranian forces as we had apparently gone into Iranian waters. I wish we hadn't because then I'd be home with you all right now. I am so sorry we did, because I know we wouldn't be here now if we hadn't," the letter said. (Read letter)
CNN cannot confirm that Turney wrote the letter or, if she did, whether she did so under duress.
The television station broadcast video of what appeared to be a handwritten letter, signed "Faye." (Watch CNN's Aneesh Raman's analysis of what's striking about this video )
"I want you all to know that I am well and safe. I am being well looked after. I am fed 3 meals a day and have a constant supply of fluids," the letter said.
Meanwhile the U.S. navy was wrapping up its largest exercise in Gulf waters since 2003. (Full story)
Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
In video footage aired Wednesday, Faye Turney, the only woman captive, said her group had "trespassed" in Iranian waters; other images showed the group eating together.
Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani made his comments on Iranian state radio on Thursday, the day after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Turney would be released "as soon as possible" but did not say when.
"We even said that the grounds were ready for the release of a woman among the British sailors but if we are faced with a fuss and wrong behavior then this would be suspended and it would not take place," Reuters quoted Larijani as saying.
Thursday also marked the sixth day Iran has defiantly refused Britain consular access to their service members or disclosed their location
Britain has urged the Security Council to support a call for the immediate release of its service members. It said in a statement the 15 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines were operating in Iraqi waters under a mandate from the Security Council and at the request of Iraq. The issue was expected to be debated Thursday.
On Wednesday the British government also announced it was freezing ties with Tehran over the crisis.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has denied though that Britain wants confrontation with Iran over the detention of the sailors.
"We want this resolved. We do not want a confrontation over this. We want this resolved as quickly as possible," the PM's official spokesman told reporters on Thursday.
Iran's foreign minister has said British officials can meet the detained sailors and marines, but must first acknowledge that they entered Iranian waters.
"Admitting the mistake will facilitate a solution to the problem," Manouchehr Mottaki told The Associated Press late Wednesday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he was attending an Arab summit.
The British Ministry of Defence has given what it said was proof the British ship HMS Cornwall, which was carrying the sailors and marines, never strayed into Iranian waters.
The global positioning system on the ship proves the vessel was "clearly" 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi waters and that the boat was "ambushed" by the Iranian forces, British Vice Adm. Charles Style said.
A map with coordinates that Iran provided on Saturday "turned out to confirm [the sailors] were in Iraqi waters," and Iraq has supported that position, Style said.
Iran later provided a second set of coordinates on Monday that placed the vessel inside Iranian waters, Style said. Those coordinates placed the ship "over two nautical miles" from the position shown by the HMS Cornwall and confirmed by the merchant vessel the British personnel had boarded when captured.
The "change of coordinates," Style said "is hard to legitimate."
On Wednesday, the Iranian Embassy in London said in a statement that British personnel had made an incursion of 0.5 kilometers (0.3 miles) into Iranian territorial waters.
Detainees appear on Iranian TV
The row over the location of the British personnel when captured on March 23 intensified Wednesday when images of them in detention appeared on Iranian television.
"Obviously we trespassed into their waters," Faye Turney said in video broadcast by Alalam, an Iranian Arabic-language network.
"They were very friendly, very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people. They explained to us why we'd been arrested. There was no aggression, no hurt, no harm. They were very, very compassionate," Turney said. (Watch Turney identify herself and describe what happened )
It was not known when the videotape was shot, or whether Turney, 26, was able to speak freely.
Turney -- who holds the rank of leading seaman, roughly equivalent to a petty officer first class in the U.S. Navy -- appeared to be in good physical condition and wore a black scarf to cover her hair. (Read Turney's profile)
In other scenes, she was shown smoking a cigarette as she spoke with someone off camera.
Alalam also broadcast video showing some of the other British detainees eating with Turney. All appeared healthy and unharmed. It was not known when that video was taken either.
The video broadcasts met outrage by the British government. (Watch the captured British sailors and Turney's letter )
A spokesman for Britain's Foreign Office said it was "completely unacceptable for these pictures to be shown on television, given the potential distress to their [the sailors'] families."
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said she was "very concerned about these pictures and any indication of pressure on or coercion of our personnel." They "were carrying out a routine operation in accordance with international law and under a United Nations resolution in support of the Iraqi government," she added.
Britain would cut off all bilateral diplomatic business with Tehran -- excluding discussions about the detainees -- until they were released, she announced earlier Wednesday.
Letter also released
Iran also released a letter it said was written by Turney to her parents. The letter was handed to the British ambassador to Iran in Tehran on Wednesday, the state-run news agency reported.
"We were out in the boats when we were arrested by Iranian forces as we had apparently gone into Iranian waters. I wish we hadn't because then I'd be home with you all right now. I am so sorry we did, because I know we wouldn't be here now if we hadn't," the letter said. (Read letter)
CNN cannot confirm that Turney wrote the letter or, if she did, whether she did so under duress.
The television station broadcast video of what appeared to be a handwritten letter, signed "Faye." (Watch CNN's Aneesh Raman's analysis of what's striking about this video )
"I want you all to know that I am well and safe. I am being well looked after. I am fed 3 meals a day and have a constant supply of fluids," the letter said.
Meanwhile the U.S. navy was wrapping up its largest exercise in Gulf waters since 2003. (Full story)
Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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