Eight British sailors and their three Royal Navy patrol boats were seized by Iran yesterday after they strayed across the Iraqi border.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that three Royal Navy patrol boats had illegally entered their territory on the Shatt al Arab river and the sailors were being questioned.

The Ministry of Defence in London confirmed last night that the sailors had been detained while "delivering a boat from Umm Qsar to Basra".

A spokesman said: "The team were travelling in three boats, two Boston whalers and one British Army combat support boat, along the Shatt al Arab waterway. The boats are unarmed but the crews were carrying their personal weapons. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is liaising with the Iranian government to resolve the situation."