Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was shown on state television chatting with British sailors Wednesday. The president said they would be released immediately. Iranian state media said the 15 had "shouted for joy" when told the news.

The sailors will return home from Tehran's Mehrabad airport on Thursday, an aide to the president said.

"They will leave tomorrow from Mehrabad airport," the aide, who
declined to be named, told Iranian reporters.

Iran seized the Britons on March 23 after saying the ship they were on had trespassed into territorial waters. Britain insists the soldiers were on a routine anti-smuggling patrol in Iraqi territory under a United Nations mandate.

Ahmadinejad said Britain had promised in a letter not to repeat the incident.

"The Blair government chose the path of media hype and sent the issue to the UN Security Council," Ahmadinejad said. "The British people can ask its government what the British soldiers are doing in Iraq or in Iranian waters."

Britain should have been "brave enough" to admit they had made a mistake, Ahmadinejad said.

A "gift" to Britain

"Although Iran has the right to prosecute them by following the model of the prophet the 15 people were pardoned and their freedom given as a gift to the British people," Ahmadinejad said at the press conference.

The Britons were held in an undisclosed location since the standoff began two weeks ago. They appeared occasionally on Iranian television to offer "confessions" for trespassing and to apologize. It is unknown whether the statements were coerced.

The United Kingdom froze most ties with Iran after the soldiers were seized. The European Union also sent a strongly worded comdemnation to Iran.

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed the unexpected news.

Nick Summers, the brother of one captive Nathan Summers, said it was "brilliant news."

"It's been a long, long 13 days," he told Britain's Sky News.

White House said Iran needs to change first

The latest developments coincided with the release in Baghdad of an Iranian diplomat kidnapped in Iraq in early February. Iran had blamed the US military for the abduction.

Additionally, five Iranian officials captured by US forces in northern Iraq in January were expected to receive their first visit by an Iranian diplomat.

Ahmadinejad also said on Wednesday Iran could reconsider its relations with the United States if President George W. Bush and his administration changed its behavior.

"If Mr. Bush and his government change their behaviour ... this side (Iran) has the ability to reconsider" Ahmadinejad said.

The United States said on Wednesday if Iran wanted to change its relationship with Washington it would first have to suspend uranium enrichment.

"The behavior that needs to change is the Iranians, not the United States," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.

Ahmadinejad said there was no link between the release of the Britons and five Iranians held by US forces in Iraq. The US also denied the release was in any way linked.

"There is no link whatsoever. Neither we nor the British nor anyone else, as far as I know, has made that link," Casey said. "It would be pure speculation on my part to try and ascribe motive to any of this stuff. I simply don't know and I don't think anyone does short of the Iranians."