Britain takes softer line as Iran's hardliners seek to escalate crisis

British attempts to cool the dispute with Tehran over the seizure of 15 soldiers and Marines were dealt a blow yesterday as Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused London of mishandling the situation.

Speaking at a rally in Khuzestan near where the sailors were seized, President Ahmadinejad said the sailors had trespassed into Iranian waters and he accused London of turning to the UN and the European Union for support over the detentions. "Instead of apologising and expressing regret over the action taken, [the UK] started to claim that we are in their debt and shouted in various international councils," he said.

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Last night, there were reports ministers are planning a compromise solution to the crisis, which would see a Royal Navy captain, commondore or special government envoy sent to Tehran to publicly assure the Iranians the Royal Navy will never knowingly enter Iranian waters without gaining permission.

Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, has called on Tehran to negotiate an end to the detention of the 15 British soldiers and Marines Iran claims strayed into its waters nine days ago. She told reporters: "The message I want to send is that I think everyone regrets this position has arisen. What we want is a way out of it."

President George Bush called yesterday for the release of the sailors, describing their capture as "inexcusable behaviour". He said: "Iran must give back the hostages, they're innocent, and they did nothing wrong."

But suspicions that the crisis was engineered and is being exploited by hardline elements in the regime hardened amid claims that Iran's actions were a premeditated retaliation for expected tougher UN sanctions in relation to its nuclear programme.

On Friday, Iran's ambassador to Moscow, Gholamreza Ansari, told Russian television that a legal process was under way and the 15 Britons could "face punishment" if found guilty. Iran's official news agency IRNA reported that the Britons could face trial, though this was later denied by Mr Ansari, who blamed a faulty translation.

It has also emerged that the President will hold a press conference on the crisis on Tuesday. His intervention - which comes at the end of a two-week national holiday that has hampered diplomatic activity - suggests that, far from bringing an end to the crisis, the return to work of Iranian politicians could herald its escalation.

Iranian media have been trumpeting Britain's failure to secure a strong condemnation of Iran at the UN Security Council or a freeze on EU diplomacy. State television has run footage of the seizure of the boats and the "confessions" of Faye Turney and Nathan Thomas Summers, two of the seized UK personnel, repeatedly on the news channel.

Meanwhile, a claim was made at a press conference in London by the National Council of Resistance of Iran that an Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval garrison was placed on alert the night before the seizure of the sailors.

And the political wing of the Iranian MEK opposition group - listed as a terrorist group by Britain, the US and the EU - said the British crew's capture was planned in advance, but offered no evidence to support this.

The Foreign Office declined to comment on the claims. Aware perhaps that previous condemnations from Tony Blair and others had only helped add to the propaganda value of the seizure, officials instead stressed the softer note struck by Mrs Beckett in speaking to reporters at a EU summit in Germany.

Mrs Beckett confirmed that Britain had replied to a diplomatic note sent by Iran that asked for "necessary guarantees that violations against Iranian waters would not be repeated".

Britain has repeatedly complained that it is proving hard to discern Iranian intentions, and there was further confusion yesterday. The IRNA news agency said Mr Ansari, had denied comments attributed to him by the Russian TV station Vesti-24 that the sailors might be taken to court and punished.

It had earlier quoted him as saying on Friday evening that "if charges against them are proven, they will be punished".

Meanwhile, Pakistan increased the pressure on Iran when it became the latest Muslim state to call on Tehran to release the British sailors. A close aide to President Musharraf said military personnel should not be punished due to "mistakes and wrong policies of their government".