Iranian official confirms talks with Britain on sailor standoff

Britain has started talks with Tehran on resolving the standoff over the capture of 15 British sailors, local media reported in Tehran Tuesday, citing a senior official's confirmation.

The talks are being held between the British government and the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the state-run television quoted Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani as saying.

The official, however, told the TV media that it is "only at the beginning", adding "things can change and we could go towards an end of this issue if they continue on this path."

Some conciliatory tones have emerged from both capitals in the past one day, raising some hopes of resolving this crisis soon.

Larijani on Monday has said Iran's priority is to resolve the problem through proper diplomatic channels, and "there's no need to have a trial on the detained sailors".

The British government responded later Monday by saying "we confirm we share his (Larijani) preference for early bilateral discussions to find a diplomatic solution to this problem".

Iran's tension with Britain has escalated a lot since Tehran aired three footage of the detained sailors and the large-scale protest against British embassy Sunday by the Islamist students.

Iran's state television said Monday all the 15 captured sailors and marines have already "confessed" their illegal entry of the Iranian territorial waters.

The semi-official ISNA news agency also reported that the 15 British sailors had admitted in details to camera on their illegal entry issue.

"But due to the positive changes in the past two days by the British government, the television will not broadcast the interviews," said the report.

The ISNA didn't elaborate what "positive changes" are, but an unnamed British official said Monday his country had agreed to discuss with Tehran to avoid disputes in contested waters in Gulf region in the future.

In the latest video footage released Sunday, two seized British naval personnel have admitted to illegally entered Iranian waters.

Source: Xinhua