LONDON - Fifteen British sailors and marines held captive for nearly two weeks in Iran arrived home Thursday, a day after the announcement of their release defused a growing confrontation between the two countries.

The British sailors and marines held captive for nearly two weeks, board an awaiting Royal Navy helicopter after arriving at London's Heathrow airport Thursday April 5, 2007 a day after the announcement of their release defused a growing confrontation between the two countries. [AP]

The British Airways plane landed at the VIP suite near Heathrow's Terminal Four, and passengers were being led off the back of the plane. Armed police patrolled the tarmac as two military helicopters idled on the airport's North runway.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's announcement in Tehran Wednesday was a breakthrough in a crisis that had escalated over nearly two weeks, raising oil prices and fears of military conflict in the volatile region. The move to release the sailors suggested that Iran's hard-line leadership decided it had shown its strength but did not want to push the standoff too far.

Special coverage: British Sailors Freed Readers' Comment: I Believe Mr Ahmadinejab should be a candidate for the Alfred Nobel peace prize for his contribution to defusing international tensions in a volatible troubled area in this part of our planet------This man is a man of great wisdom who is placing his wisdom in actual practice------but unfortunately he is being miss-understood by some and his political enemies who are taking advantage of his miss-interpretations, and is being strumentalized in their propaganda campaigns against Iran and the peaceful Iranian people. - Sammy Click for more comments Related readings:  Britain, Iran hold high-level talks in sailor row  Iranian diplomat seized in Iraq released  Iranian TV airs new video of detained sailors  Iran sees positive signs in UK stance  All UK captives say entered illegally  UK denounces video of seized sailors  Protest in Iran targets British Embassy  Britain studying Iran standoff options  Bush to Iran: 'Give back the hostages'  Iran airs second British's apology  UN urges resolution of Iran seizure  UK turns up heat on Iran over sailors  Iran TV shows footage of UK sailors  Brit presses Iran; woman may be freed  Blair warns Iran standoff could escalate  Iran: Sailors being treated humanely

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed their return but called for continued international pressure on Tehran following the deaths of four servicemen in an attack in Iraq earlier in the day.

"Now it is far too early to say that the particular terrorist act that killed our forces was an acted committed by terrorists that were backed by any elements of the Iranian regime, so I make no allegation in respect of that particular incident," Blair said.

Iran did not get the main thing it sought - a public apology for entering Iranian waters. Britain, which said its crew was in Iraqi waters when seized, insists it never offered a quid pro quo, either, instead relying on quiet diplomacy.

Syria, Iran's close ally, said it played a role in winning the release. "Syria exercised a sort of quiet diplomacy to solve this problem and encourage dialogue between the two parties," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said in Damascus.

The announcement of the release came hours after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with President Bashar Assad in Damascus, trying to show that a US dialogue with Syria - rejected by the Bush administration - could bring benefits for the Middle East. The British sailors were not part of their talks, and it was not clear if the release was timed to coincide with her visit.

Several British newspapers credited Blair's foreign policy adviser Nigel Sheinwald and Iranian chief negotiator Ali Larijani with laying the groundwork for an agreement during telephone contacts that began Tuesday night. Larijani had gone on British TV on Monday and signaled that Tehran was looking for a diplomatic solution.

British officials were told to pay close attention to Ahmadinejad's news conference but were unsure the release would come until they heard his words, The Independent newspaper said.

Ahmadinejad timed the announcement so as to make a dramatic splash, springing it halfway through a two-hour news conference.

The president first gave a medal of honor to the commander of the Iranian coast guards who captured the Britons, and admonished London for sending a mother, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, on such a dangerous mission in the Persian Gulf.

He said the British government was "not brave enough" to admit the crew had been in Iranian waters when it was captured.

Ahmadinejad then declared that even though Iran had the right to put the Britons on trial, he had "pardoned" them to mark the March 30 birthday of the Prophet Muhammad and the coming Easter holiday.

"This pardon is a gift to the British people," he said.

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