The British Foreign Office said the chartered yacht was stopped while sailing in the Persian Gulf on November 25 and may have "inadvertently strayed into Iranian waters." The announcement on Monday was the first public mention of the incident, which recalls the seizure of 15 British sailors in 2007.

The yacht's owners, Sail Bahrain, said on its website that the boat, "The Kingdom of Bahrain," was due to join the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race scheduled to begin on November 26.

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that British officials had been in contact with their Iranian counterparts since the incident occurred, but did not explain why the incident was being publicized now.

"The five crew members are still in Iran. All are understood to be safe and well and their families have been informed," a Foreign Office statement said.

In March 2007, a group of 15 British sailors was seized by Iran in disputed waters and were released about two weeks later after a tense diplomatic standoff between London and Tehran.

gb/AP/AFP
Editor: Michael Lawton