Britain threatens to raise stakes in Iran standoff

LONDON: British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday warned Iran that a dispute over 15 detained sailors could enter a "different phase" if they were not freed soon as the foreign minister rushed back to London to deal with the crisis.

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett cut short a visit to Turkey in order to report to parliament on Wednesday, having hit a dead end in talks with her Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair earlier cautioned Iran that he was not prepared to see the naval personnel held with "no justification whatever."

His official spokesman said London was not looking to escalate the stand-off and would prefer a diplomatic solution, insisting that Britain was not considering military action or throwing out Iran's ambassador.

Blair said Britain was trying to "pursue this through the diplomatic channels and make the Iranian government understand these people have to be released."

"If not, then this will move into a different phase," he added in an interview with GMTV television.

And Beckett's return so soon after speaking to Tehran reflected the mounting concern over the standoff, as Iran rejects growing international calls to free the sailors who were detained last Friday.

Beckett said she had decided to return to London after speaking on the telephone with Mottaki.

"I discussed what developments there have been, whether we have made any progress in trying to resolve the issues. Unfortunately, it appears that may not be the case, she said.