Officials in Tehran have freed five British yachtsmen who had illegally entered Iran’s territorial waters, Iranian media reported.

The five Briton, released on Wednesday, were detained on Nov 25 in southern Persian Gulf waters by Iran’s Revolution Guards Corps, a statement released by the IRGC said.

The IRGC interrogated the detainees and it became clear that they had inadvertently strayed into the Iranian waters.

UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband had earlier acknowledged that there legal justifications for the detention and dismissed speculations the issue was tied to Iran’s nuclear stand-off with the West.

He said the five were travelling from Bahrain to the United Arab Emirates to take part at a sporting event.

Miliband held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki late on Tuesday and called for formal consular access to the men and their speedy release.

Iranian officials insist they were arrested kilometers away from the route they had claimed, near the Iranian island of Siri.