The British authorities has announced that, the Islamic Republic of Iran has finally released the five British nationals it detained earlier this week from a 60-foot racing yacht, called the King of Bahrain. The naval units of the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guards had boarded the vessel and detained its occupants from the Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, while the group was on its way to participate in a race.

According to a British Foreign Office spokesman, who made a statement on the basis of anonymity said that, the Iranian authorities have released the British nationals and their racing yacht will be towed to the international water, where it will be handed over to the race organizers. This latest development, could indicate to a softening stance of Iran against against the detained individuals whom, were expected to be imprisoned and face harsh punishments, as Iran had warned it would do.

In a statement made via the Iranian state radio, the Revolutionary Guards said,

“After getting necessary guarantees, Iran released the five. We reached the conclusion that they entered Iran’s territorial waters by mistake.”

This latest development between the governments of Britain and Iran resembles the incident that took place in the year 2007, when 15 soldiers of the British Royal Marines were detained by Iranian authorities accusing them of infiltrating Iranian territory. However, the soldiers were later released on the orders of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who termed the release as “a gift to Britain”.

Via New York Times.