15 Royal Navy sailors captured at gunpoint by Iranian guardsFriday, March 23, 2007Fifteen British Royal Navy personnel have been captured by Iranian authorities at gunpoint in the Persian Gulf off the Iraqi coast, according to the British Ministry of Defence.The Royal Navy insists that they were operating in Iraqi waters.The source website for this claim remains unknown; however, Rajanews.com, a news website run by some of supporters of Ahmadinejad said on their website: "If the charges of espionage is brought against them the result would be heavy punishment by current law.""If it is proven that they deliberately entered Iranian territory, they will be charged with espionage.[The sailors have been] detained by Iran's border authorities for further investigation.Ahmadinejad to free British navy personnelWednesday, April 4, 2007Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced that the fifteen British captured navy personnel detained by Iran would be released, saying they have been pardoned as a gift to the British people.denies that the sailors were in Iranian waters.The Iranian government then stated that it was not the first time that British ships had entered Iranian waters.The sailors and marines, from the Type 22 frigate HMS Cornwall, had been inspecting, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1723, a ship that was believed to be smuggling cars into Iraq, though it was subsequently cleared after inspection.HMS Cornwall at Zeebrugge in 2006.The incident occurred near the Shatt al-Arab (Arvandrud) waterway, which forms the southern border between Iran and Iraq.