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Five Britons have been detained by the Iranian navy while sailing a racing yacht from Bahrain to Dubai, the Foreign Office (FCO) has said.
The sailors were on a boat belonging to Sail Bahrain stopped on 25 November.
The FCO said the crew - Luke Porter, Oliver Smith, David Bloomer, Oliver Young and Sam Usher - may have "strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters".
The five, who are still in Iran, are understood to be safe and well and their families have been told.
Mr Bloomer is said to work as a sports broadcaster in Bahrain, while Mr Smith, 31, is an engineer, from Southampton.
It is not known where the sailors are being held nor which club they had come from, but the FCO did confirm they were on their way to take part in a Dubai-Muscat race. They were sailing a yacht called the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The British Embassy in Tehran is demanding the immediate release of the five.
FCO officials have had contact with Iran's ministry of foreign affairs and the Iranian embassy in the UK, while Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he hoped the issue would be resolved "soon".
The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall said the FCO had wanted to keep the matter "private" in order to increase the chance of a resolution.
But after five days the details emerged and they had no option but to confirm the story, she added.
Our correspondent said the timing was awkward, coming after the UK condemned Iran's plan to extend its nuclear programme.
It is thought the Eid holiday could have delayed proceedings in Iran, said the BBC's Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne.
He added that with Iran feeling beleaguered over Western concerns about both its recent elections and its nuclear programme, the incident "could hardly [have come at] a worst moment".
Mr Miliband added: "FCO officials immediately contacted the Iranian authorities in London and in Tehran on the evening of 25 November, both to seek clarification and to try and resolve the matter swiftly.
"Our ambassador in Tehran has raised the issue with the Iranian foreign ministry and we have discussed the matter with the Iranian embassy in London," he said.
Stand-off
Sail Bahrain was recently launched by yachting company Team Pindar.
The 360-nautical mile Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race began on 26 November and ended two days later in the Omani capital's Bandar Al-Rawdah marina.
The sailors were on a boat belonging to Sail Bahrain stopped on 25 November.
The FCO said the crew - Luke Porter, Oliver Smith, David Bloomer, Oliver Young and Sam Usher - may have "strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters".
The five, who are still in Iran, are understood to be safe and well and their families have been told.
Mr Bloomer is said to work as a sports broadcaster in Bahrain, while Mr Smith, 31, is an engineer, from Southampton.
It is not known where the sailors are being held nor which club they had come from, but the FCO did confirm they were on their way to take part in a Dubai-Muscat race. They were sailing a yacht called the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The British Embassy in Tehran is demanding the immediate release of the five.
FCO officials have had contact with Iran's ministry of foreign affairs and the Iranian embassy in the UK, while Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he hoped the issue would be resolved "soon".
The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall said the FCO had wanted to keep the matter "private" in order to increase the chance of a resolution.
But after five days the details emerged and they had no option but to confirm the story, she added.
Our correspondent said the timing was awkward, coming after the UK condemned Iran's plan to extend its nuclear programme.
It is thought the Eid holiday could have delayed proceedings in Iran, said the BBC's Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne.
He added that with Iran feeling beleaguered over Western concerns about both its recent elections and its nuclear programme, the incident "could hardly [have come at] a worst moment".
Mr Miliband added: "FCO officials immediately contacted the Iranian authorities in London and in Tehran on the evening of 25 November, both to seek clarification and to try and resolve the matter swiftly.
"Our ambassador in Tehran has raised the issue with the Iranian foreign ministry and we have discussed the matter with the Iranian embassy in London," he said.
Stand-off
Sail Bahrain was recently launched by yachting company Team Pindar.
The 360-nautical mile Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race began on 26 November and ended two days later in the Omani capital's Bandar Al-Rawdah marina.
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