5 Minute Guide: Persian stand-off

What happened?

On 23 March 15 Royal Navy sailors and Marines from HMS Cornwall were captured by Iranian warships in the Gulf. They had been carrying out a routine search on a cargo ship.

Iranian officials claimed the sailors were trespassing in Iranian waters, but the UK insisted they were in Iraqi waters.

Footage of the sailors apparently admitting to trespass and apologising to the Iranian people was aired by Iranian state TV. These statements are thought to have been coerced.

Meanwhile protests took place in Iran by hardliners angry at what they say was "illegal entry" into Iranian waters. The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the UK attitude as "arrogant".

Then in an exclusive interview with Channel 4 News on 2 April, head of Iran's security council Ali Larijani stressed that Iran was keen to resolve the crisis through diplomatic channels.

On 5 April all 15 sailors were flown home and returned to their families. Ahmadinejad described their release as a "gift" to the UK.

Some of the sailors subsequently sold their stories to newspapers and television programmes. The Royal Navy's decision to allow them to do so caused a public outcry. The Ministry of Defence subsequently banned the sailors from speaking to the media.

Defence Secretary Des Browne took responsibility for the debacle, saying "The buck stops here."

What does it mean?

While it's not the first time London has found itself at loggerheads with Tehran, this episode marked a definite downturn in Anglo-Iranian relations. The UK had already been in confrontation with Iran recently as an ally of the US, which fiercely opposes Iranian plans to develop nuclear weapons.

What it means for Iranian-UK relations in the long term is unclear. Some, such as the former US ambassador to the UN, John Bolton say that it has weakened the UK as it showed Iran could throw its weight around on the world stage with no consequence.

Iran, to many, has gained.

Its position of strength has been beamed across the Arab world. It has had the Foreign Office - and the British media - at times hanging on its every word.

On the other hand, during the 13 days in which it made the West squirm, Iran's own government has also appeared divided. At the same time the British government is claiming a victory for diplomacy.

But however it is spun, this incident seems to underline the current diplomatic gulf between Iran and the West.

What happens next?

Blair welcomed the sailors' return and emphasised his determination to resolve any "disagreements" between Britain and Iran through diplomatic channels in the future.

Meanwhile the US response to the sailors' release stressed the point that this was a concession which did not alter Iran's stance over the nuclear issue.

Iran is likely to return to its defiant posture around 23 May, the Security Council deadline for compliance over its nuclear weapons programme.

Key players

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The President of Iran is an ultra-conservative who has come under attack for his stance towards Israel and his determination to pursue a nuclear programme.

Ahmadinejad was vocal in expressing the view that it was the UK which ought to back down in the territorial dispute.

An internal struggle seemed to be going on in his country at the time of the standoff. Hardliners around Ahmadinejad were apparently proposing that the 15 be put on trial, whilst others were pressing for an earlier release.

Ali Larijani
Ali Larijani is head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, responsible for all security issues including Iran's nuclear programme.

His announcement on Channel 4 News that there was "no need for a trial" marked a turning point in the impasse.

He is a representative and close follower of the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini. Some interpreted the Anglo-British standoff as indicative of the power wielded by Supreme Leader, even over Ahmadinejad.

Tony Blair
Blair described the seizure of the sailors was "unacceptable, wrong and illegal". He greeted their return as a "profound relief".

Downing Street has distanced itself from the furore over the sale of the captured sailors' stories. Blair said that in retrospect it had not been "a good idea".

Faye Turney
Leading Seaman Faye Turney is a 26-year-old mother-of-one and the only woman in the group of captured sailors.

She was shown on state TV apparently admitting to entering Iranian waters, raising concerns that she was speaking under duress.

Reports that she received a six-figure sum for interviews with the Sun and ITV 1's Tonight with Macdonald inflamed the debate over whether she and her fellow sailors should have been allowed to take money in return for their stories.

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