In the first footage of the group aired on Wednesday, Turney was also shown saying they had trespassed into Iranian waters, but again the circumstances of the communication were not disclosed.

"Using our military personnel for purposes of propaganda like this is outrageous" was the reaction from Britain's Foreign Office.

Britain has already frozen most ties with Iran, a move Tehran blamed for its decision not to free Turney as promised earlier this week.

The Security Council on Thursday expressed "grave concern" at Iran's detention of the 15 although it failed to back Britain's calls for a stronger statement and demand their immediate release.

The affair has dramatically increased tensions between Iran and the West, which are already at loggerheads over the Islamic republic's disputed nuclear programme.

The crisis has sent oil prices surging towards seven month highs, topping 69 dollars in London trade on Friday.

Ahmadinejad, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards which guards Iran's border, was quoted as telling Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Britain must apologise.

However, Britain said it was giving "serious consideration" to a diplomatic note from Iran which protests at the sailors' "illegal act" but does not call for an apology.

Although Iran warned European nations not to inferfere, the EU foreign ministers expressed their "unconditional support" for London.

A statement said the EU "deplores the continued arrest of 15 British citizens ... and underlines the European Union's unconditional support for the government of the United Kingdom."

It said all evidence indicated that the Britons were patroling in Iraqi waters and that their seizure by Iranian forces "constitutes a clear breach of international law.

"Should the UK citizens not be released in the near future, the EU will decide on appropriate measures."

Both Britain and Iran have produced maps and global positioning system (GPS) coordinates to back their cases over where the sailors were when they were seized at gunpoint on March 23.

Russia urged the United Nations on Friday to prepare an independent report on the incident.

"The current situation demands an in-depth study into the incident, taking into account the conflicting accounts of London and Tehran, as well as the coordinates presented by both parties," the Russian foreign ministry said.

Washington, which has been conducting naval exercises in the Gulf involving aircraft carriers and is spearheading the campaign over Iran's nuclear drive, has also given strong backing to its British ally.

On Friday, it rejected any suggestion that the British service personnel might be swapped for five Iranian officials held by US forces in Iraq since January.

"We reject any linkage," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

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