Iran said on Friday that a press conference by the released British sailors and marines was a "staged show" to cover up their mistake.

"The staged show cannot cover up the British military personnel's mistake of illegally entering the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Iran's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The statement was issued in response to the remarks by the 15 British sailors and marines earlier on Friday, who said they were subjected to "constant psychological pressure" and threatened with imprisonment during their 14 days ordeal in captivity.

Royal Marine Captain Chris Air and naval Lieutenant Feliz Carman said in a joint statement at a new conference on behalf of the freed group that they were told by the Iranians if they did not admit they had strayed into Iranian waters they faced seven years in prison.

"We were interrogated most nights and given two options. If we admitted that we had strayed, we would be back on a plane to the UK pretty soon. If we didn't, we faced up to seven years in prison," they said.

They said that they all were kept in "isolation" and in "stone cells" for most of the captivity in Iran, adding "we were kept in isolation until the last few nights when we were allowed to gather for a few hours together, in the full glare of Iranian media."

According to the British sailors' statement, the freed group insisted that they were in "routine boarding operation" inside Iraqi waters at the time of the capture.

On March 23, 15 British naval personnel were seized by Iranian forces when they were patrolling off the Iraqi borders. Iran has insisted that the British boats made a blatant "incursion" into Iranian territorial waters.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Wednesday to free the 15 British naval personnel.

Source: Xinhua