Five Britons have been detained by the Iranian navy while sailing a racing¹ yacht from Bahrain to Dubai, the Foreign Office (FCO) has said.

英国外交部称，五名英国人驾驶赛艇从巴林岛开往迪拜的图中被伊朗海军拘留。

They were on a Volvo 60 yacht belonging to Sail Bahrain stopped on 25 November.

The FCO said the crew - Luke Porter, Oliver Smith, David Bloomer, Oliver Young and Sam Usher² - may have "strayed inadvertently（不注意地） into Iranian waters".

Dubai-Muscat Offshore³ Race organisers said the crew may have been "drifting" after experiencing propeller⁴（螺旋桨，推进器） problems.

Louay Habib, from the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, told the BBC the shore crew for the crew's boat the Kingdom of Bahrain had said "there was no wind at the time, and they told us that they were organising for a tow（拖） to come and get them".

He added: "It's purely⁵ speculation⁶（沉思，推测） but they would have probably been drifting... in 10 hours they could well have strayed into Iranian waters."

Nuclear row

The five, who are still in Iran, are understood to be safe and well and their families have been told.

Mr Smith, 31, an engineer, from Southampton. His teammate Mr Bloomer is said to work as a sports broadcaster in Bahrain.

It is not known where the sailors are being held nor which club they had come from, but the FCO did confirm they were on their way to take part in the Dubai-Muscat race.

The British Embassy in Tehran is demanding the immediate⁷ release of the five but has so far only had indirect contact with the crew members.

It is thought the Eid holiday could have delayed proceedings⁸ in Iran.

FCO officials have spoken with Iran's ministry⁹ of foreign affairs and the Iranian embassy in the UK, while Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he hoped the issue would be resolved "soon" and has asked for a phone conversation with his opposite number in Tehran.

The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall said the FCO had wanted to keep the matter "private" in order to increase the chance of a resolution.

But after five days the details emerged and they had no option but to confirm the story.

Our correspondent said the timing¹⁰ was awkward（笨拙的，尴尬的）, coming after the UK condemned¹¹ Iran's plan to extend its nuclear programme.

The government feared Iran might see the detention¹² as an opportunity for "extra leverage¹³" in relation to the nuclear dispute, she added.

Mr Miliband said: "FCO officials immediately contacted the Iranian authorities in London and in Tehran on the evening of 25 November, both to seek clarification（澄清，阐明） and to try and resolve the matter swiftly.

"Our ambassador in Tehran has raised the issue with the Iranian foreign ministry and we have discussed the matter with the Iranian embassy in London," he said.